Doppleganger
by RinoaDestiny
Summary: Nanomemes' Team Murder and RinoaDestiny's Team Chill fire boys finally meet. (On-going joint collaboration).
1. Chapter 1

**Doppleganger**

_King of Fighters, Kyo Kusanagi, and Iori Yagami belong to SNK_

**Comments**: Collab between Nanomemes and RinoaDestiny. Nanomemes' Team Murder's Kyo and RinoaDestiny's Team Chill's Iori. We wrote this together since we always wanted our boys to meet, since they are very different. Have fun!

* * *

It was a cool evening. The sun had begun its descent over the horizon. The moon had emerged faintly in the east. A slight breeze wafted through the streets and caused the stream of smoke from his cigarette to disappear momentarily, before it flickered back into existence.

It had been a long day for him. He had left for band practice this morning, and, because they were preparing for a tour, rehearsed all day. It was nearly seven in the evening when he left the rehearsal site. His commute today was particularly long, and Iori was tired.

He was quite eager to shower, whip up something to eat, and perhaps flop into bed with a good book before he got some shut-eye.

_Stir fry sounds nice right about now… _

Iori sighed, exhaled, and climbed the stairs to his apartment door. He fished his keys from his pocket, but when he went to unlock the door… it creaked open before he even turned the lock.

_...Unlocked? That's… not good._

Iori never forgot to lock his door. He was too careful for that. Had somebody robbed his house?

He silently opened the door and carefully stepped in. The corridor was dark, but the lights to his living room were on. Iori supported himself against the wall and pulled off his shoes as quickly and quietly as he could before padding down the hallway. He pressed himself against the wall, his guitar pinned against his shoulder blades, and listened.

He heard humming and the clank of… _tools?_ It didn't seem like the person in question was in any sort of rush as he… did whatever he was doing in Iori's living room. The voice was familiar… very familiar.

The red-haired man narrowed his eyes, then turned to peek in.

…

_Kusanagi?_

"Kusanagi?!"

It was undoubtedly him. He was humming to himself and uninstalling the TV from its wall-mount. He heard his name being called and turned around to look. He raised his hand in greeting, grinned and…his eyebrows did a little dance on his forehead. Iori had never seen anyone's eyebrows move so much in his life. He blinked.

"Oh, Hi Gammy."

Kyo nonchalantly took a sip from his beer, put it on the coffee table with a clank, then he turned back around and began pulling wires out of the walls.

Iori didn't speak. He simply stood there, mute as he sorted his thoughts.

Kyo Kusanagi was a constant in his life. He knew the man like the back of his hand. What he didn't expect was for him to be a sneak thief, stealing into other people's houses and taking their valuables. Especially TVs. Especially his TV.

Kyo didn't even have the key to his apartment, let alone access into the apartment complex. So how did he…

And what was it with that stupid nickname? Did he think he was being clever?

Perhaps he did. Kyo always did nurse aspirations of becoming some bona fide poet. Maybe if he put some effort into it. Other than making bad nicknames at other people's expense.

"Kyo, just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Besides the obvious, which was uninstalling his TV and apparently making off with it. Would have, if he hadn't come home when he did. If it wasn't for the fact he had some forbearance for his rival, Iori probably would've asked him to leave already.

"What does it look like? Man, you replaced this one fast!"

Replaced? He hadn't replaced anything. He'd gotten this two years ago after his last one stopped working due to some freak electrical outage that shorted the entire apartment complex. Had to stop by a hotel and get a room, since nothing in his place worked. Came back the next day, scrapped the old one, and found this one - which Kyo was happily removing - for sale in some electronics shop in Dotonbori.

"Kusanagi, how'd you get into the apartment?"

Kyo frowned. He put his tools down and regarded him for a moment.

"What do you mean, '_how'?_ Same as always. Did you hit your head or something? You ok, buddy?"

Kyo turned around and continued working on the TV.

"I mean… It's a bit weird you're not screaming and bitching."

Iori raised an eyebrow. Those around him regarded him as a rather quiet individual. He, for obvious reasons, didn't want to be known as notorious, loud, obnoxious, or just a general pain-in-the-ass. He saved that for King of Fighters, since everyone besides Kyo pissed him off at the tournaments. Kyo, for that matter, was acting very strange tonight. The Kyo he knew never gave him a stupid nickname, made off with TVs, or acted like he didn't even know him (Kyo knew he wasn't the screaming type, for one.).

"Whatever." He reached for the strap of his guitar case, removed it from his back, and carefully placed the case against the wall so that it had support and didn't tip. "It's been a long day, I'm hungry, and there's a novel to finish. Do whatever you want to. Just leave me alone and we're good."

He heard a quiet, _'what the hell?'_ as he turned on his heel and made for the tiny kitchen, shrugging off his red leather coat in the meantime, and slinging both that and his house key on the couch. If Kyo wanted to take his TV, okay. Dotonbori always had sales going on and he had money. It wasn't as if a brand-new flat-screen TV would take much out of his account anyway. He wasn't that hard-up and he hadn't been hard-up since joining a band and making bank out of that.

Iori knew when to pick his battles. This wasn't one of them. Besides, he was hungry. And tired. He'd left off on a cliffhanger in the latest fantasy novel he was reading - of course based on Japanese mythology, which he liked - and he wanted to continue. After eating. After taking a nice hot long shower.

He opened the fridge, saw the empty spots where his beer had been - did Kusanagi drink two already? - and then moved onto the eggs, the scallions, the pork cutlets he prepared the day before, and the rice he'd saved for tonight. While he didn't eat at home too often, he did stock his fridge just in case. In case of late night rehearsals and catching the night trains (trying not to miss the last one, since he didn't like staying in capsule hotels), which didn't leave him much time to dine outside. Pulling the ingredients from the fridge, he placed them on the counter, got out the steel wok and spatula, rolled back his sleeves and started cooking.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he decided to prepare a bit extra. Just in case. He didn't bother to ask himself why.

Behind him, Kyo stuck his head into the room and spoke up. He sounded wary, nothing like the carefree, almost provocative nonchalance he was wearing earlier while he was dismantling furniture. Iori sighed and turned to look. _This_ Kyo seemed more expressive than usual. There might as well be question marks written all over his face.

"What is it, Kusanagi?"

"Did you remodel your house?"

"What?"

"I swore the bathroom was here! And where the hell is my backpack! I left it right there!"

"..."

Kyo looked about wildly then disappeared back into the hallway. Iori heard the sounds of all of his doors being opened and shut with increasing agitation. He wondered at that. It wasn't as if his apartment was big. The bathroom was just off to the side, a little ways off the kitchen and before his bedroom. Kusanagi was treating it as if he was searching for rare treasure, which was odd. Then again, Kyo had never been in his place before, but it wasn't as if residential layouts in Japan were too dissimilar. He would've found some humor in that, if he wasn't busy with his stir-fry and fried cutlets.

"Don't know anything about your backpack!" He called out, as he put a touch of soy sauce onto the stir-fried rice, frowned, and then added a splash of _mirin_ before continuing.

A moment later, Kyo responded with a muffled _'What the fuck!'_. It sounded like he had slammed his way to the front door and was screaming at the street.

Iori breathed through his nose. The last thing he needed was a headache. This was why he preferred living alone without roommates. Peace and quiet, all to himself with just his music and his books. When Mature and Vice materialized (that was the only word he could use for their constant returns) before the tournaments, the two women turned his quiet abode into hell. Best way to describe it.

Hellcats, the both of them.

He finished the stir-fry, plated it, and checked on the cutlets. Almost done as well. He flipped them one more time - he liked them crispy - and regretted the fact that he missed out on the curry. It would also provide a bit more food, since apparently, dinner might be for two.

"What the fuck! What the fuck!"

Iori heard footfalls fly down the hallway, and once again, Kyo was attached to the kitchen's door frame and looking at him. Now, instead of question marks, this time he had _'PANIC' _written in big, bold letters on his forehead. Iori sighed. Again. "What is it now, Kusanagi?" Even as he asked that, he opened up the drawer beneath the counter, grabbed two pairs of chopsticks and two rice bowls. Might as well. He had a feeling Kyo was staying and he was rarely wrong when it came to his instincts even for mundane stuff like this.

"What do you mean, _'What is it now?'" _Iori shut his eyes and ignored the bad mimic of his voice. "What the fuck is happening! I'm not supposed to be here! Why the fuck am I in Japan?!"

"Weren't you always in Japan, Kyo? You live here, don't you?"

"What? Yes, but-"

Kyo seemed to be growing increasingly anxious. He had pinned his back against the kitchen door frame and was glancing around as if expecting the walls to attack him. He didn't respond to the question, and just murmured to himself. He was breathing hard. His face was red, and he looked just about ready to have a panic attack.

Iori put the stuff for dinner aside, studied Kyo, and allowed himself a third sigh. If Kyo smoked, he would've offered him a cigarette, but Kyo didn't. He did feel the onset of a headache behind his eyes. Just what he needed. Fishing a cigarette out from his shirt pocket, he lit it and partook of its particular flavor. It calmed him down, allowed him some space to think, and also soothed the throb starting in his skull.

He tended to self-medicate but he didn't want aspirin right now.

But it looked like Kyo might need one.

He looked over at Kyo, who was staring intently at the wall and evidently trying to control his breathing. He seemed to be whispering encouragements to himself. After a long moment, he let go of the door frame and slowly slid down to sit on the tile floor. He placed both palms against his forehead and was quiet.

Iori decided this was as a good a time as any to extend a dinner invite. Which was odd, not that he should care. Hadn't he only been stalking Kyo since 1995? Why would this seem out of place? Hell, his rival shouldn't be surprised (well, maybe). He approached him carefully, aware that Kyo reminded him of a skittish animal. If he wasn't wary, Kusanagi might bite, too.

He snorted. That was some genuine irony coming from him.

"So...you staying for dinner?"

Kyo snapped his head up at the noise. His expression was wild and his posture fell into defensive. He seemed to take a moment to orient himself before craning his neck to fix Iori with a glare. There was something deranged in that look. Something that might be dangerous.

Iori had never seen that kind of expression in Kyo's face before. Certainly never in his eyes. Even during the entire thing with NESTS, he'd seen Kusanagi more pissed than murderous. This was angling towards the latter, which cued off that immediate red flag that put him on alert. He tried not to show obvious signs of such, because the minute he went into stance, Kusanagi would see him as the aggressor - if he wasn't already - and Iori didn't want a fight on his hands.

He was tired. He was hungry. He wanted to relax and sleep. He didn't want to fight - not right now.

Kyo didn't move from his place on the floor. He spoke through bared teeth.

"_Who the hell are you?_"

Iori replied smoothly, keeping his tone even and his voice low. He had to be extremely cautious here. If he phrased this wrong, it might come off as condescending and with how Kyo looked right now, the other man might actually spring off the floor and try to rip his throat out.

"A very tired Iori Yagami who's had a hell of day, Kyo. You hungry? I made enough for two. You're welcome to stay."

Kyo glared at him a moment longer, then sighed and averted his gaze. He took some time to consult with himself before climbing to his feet. He studied Iori for a wary moment, then seemed to decide that, although he was strange, he wasn't dangerous.

The violence had faded out of his voice, but he was still flustered.

"… Look. I-... I think I'm lost… so… I'd appreciate that."

Iori extinguished his cigarette in the sink, threw the stub into the wastebasket, and picked up the rice bowls and chopsticks. He brought them to the table in the small living room, went back for the food, and placed them down without much noise. It smelled great and he was hungry. Ravenous, in fact. He looked for Kyo, saw where he was and relaxed.

Kyo had gone to find his beer, and came back with Iori's bottle of aspirin instead. Sitting down across from him, he began popping them like candies. Iori suppressed the urge to grimace seeing that. Did Kyo want ulcers or an accidental poisoning? Shoveling some fried rice into his bowl, he picked up his chopsticks.

"Help yourself, Kyo." Hopefully that was more subtle than _"Lay off the aspirin, it's gonna kill you."_

Kyo put the bottle down. Seemed calmer. So long as he didn't puke up his dinner later, Iori was fine. He still wanted to take his shower, read his book, and sleep. Was Kyo going to stay the night as well? Perhaps that wasn't something he should mention or inquire about.

"Oh. Pork cutlets."

"I know you like fish, but…"

"Nah. This is fine."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_King of Fighters, Kyo Kusanagi, and Iori Yagami belong to SNK_

**Comments**: This time 'round, it's RinoaDestiny's Team Chill's Kyo and Nanomemes' Team Murder's Iori in Nanoverse-reality. Confusion still continues. XD Another piece of joint writing, which is absolutely a blast to work on. =) Enjoy!

* * *

It was a fine day in SouthTown.

Four in the afternoon. The heat was sweltering. The humidity was 150%. It was business as usual for the residents of this city. Even in PortTown, where gangs ran amok and danger was hidden around every corner, everything seemed calm. The crackhouse across the street was humming with activity, the flower shop downstairs was empty - per usual, and Kyo Kusanagi was sitting, stunned, on Iori Yagami's doormat.

Of course, he didn't know it was Iori Yagami's doormat. He didn't even know where he was, and he didn't know how he got here. Two minutes ago he was in a tea shoppe drinking sugary lattes and eating tiny cakes with Yuki, and now, with a thud, he found himself sitting on his ass, slightly dizzy and 'more-than-a-little' pissed.

The first thought which entered his brain was an indignant, _'Which of these rude bastards pulled my chair!?'_

He immediately scrambled to his feet and whirled around to confront the _smart_ prankster who thought it'd be funny to publicly embarrass the King of Fighters. Instead of some snarky group of teenagers, he found himself about to yell at a weatherbeaten white stucco wall.

"You little bra-..."

_What?! _

He whirled back around with equal vigor to look for his half-finished latte and his girlfriend. Instead, he found himself staring down a flight of stairs leading to the cracked asphalt of a back alley.

_Wait… What the hell?!_

He felt the beginnings of panic stirring in his brain.

He rapidly realized he was no longer in the quaint little Japanese coffee shop, and had somehow ended up in the middle of a place he wasn't familiar with. It was derelict - _where the hell was he?_ \- and didn't look like any part of Japan he knew. Home didn't look like this, so where was he? Where was he and how did he end up here?

Why, even?

It was hot - too much so - and he was baking in the unforgiving sun as it beat down its heat rays on his head. Maybe if he looked around or asked someone here - there were people living here, right? - he'd find answers. Answers that hopefully made some sense.

So he started with the nearest place. He was by someone's front door, in some dingy neighborhood and there was a doormat not far from where he stood. It was ugly, to be frank - not that Kyo knew much about doormats - and it had seen better days. The beige color was faded, the edges ratty, and the mat itself showed wear and tear. Probably from being exposed to the elements. He stepped forward and nudged it with the tip of his shoe.

There was a sound coming from underneath. Curious, he knelt and flipped the mat. Even as it curled, coming to rest upon the landing, the shine of metal caught his eye.

A key. He looked up, saw the door. Looked back down.

Who left the key to their front door under their doormat? Where anyone could find it? Even someone like him - he should be in Japan right now, not here (wherever this was) - a complete stranger, could just take this and walk into this person's home. Lie in wait. Do whatever. Hell, if he was a serial killer or someone equally unsavory, this person was dead.

It was a good thing he wasn't.

He picked up the key. Looked at it closely. Yeah, it was to this apartment. For this door.

He was sweating. The sun was brutally hot and hanging high overhead. Ugh. He needed shelter. Maybe this unfortunate would forgive him for his well-meant intrusion.

He put the key into the lock - a perfect fit - and turned it. The tumbler within gave way and the lock clicked. He put his hand on the door handle and began to turn it, the metal cool in his palm.

* * *

"Hey Boss."

Iori didn't even look up. He was concentrating very hard on trying to read his phone, but the car was bouncing and rattling over potholes so violently he could hardly keep both eyes pointing in the same direction. He knew his own street well enough to dodge them, but Rock Howard was driving and he didn't. He just plowed right through and was likely doing horrible things to the Mustang's bumper.

"What."

"I wanna take a road trip with Seirah this weekend- _whoa_!"

They hit a particularly deep pothole and both passengers were momentarily thrown in the air. When they returned to their seats, they continued as if nothing had happened. Iori really should have questioned why Rock had offered to drive him home. The teenager lived in city central and had no means of transport once he dropped the car, and his boss in PortTown. Rock was obviously plotting something, but Iori - as per usual - never suspected his own people.

"Road trip?" Another pothole rattled his brain. "Do what you want. I'm not your mom… _Wait… Wait is that_…"

They were pulling up to Knight street, and just past "_Shates' Flower Emporium"_, when Iori caught sight of a _very familiar _silhouette unlock his front door and push his way through.

Iori knew who that was. He felt his blood burning and Riot was yipping happy nonsense in his head. There was _nobody_ in this entire city would dare break into his house… he had quite a reputation around here.

Nobody except for one person.

"KUSANAGI YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

He stuck his head out the window and roared. Beside him, Rock Howard rolled his eyes and slowed down enough for him to hurl himself out the window, and _not_ crack his skull open on the pavement. He fruitlessly tried to get a word in before Iori took off.

"Wait, Boss. Um, I don't have a car, so I wanted to borro-"

"DON'T TOUCH MY TV YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

Iori snarled, rolled to his feet, and shot up the stairs like the raving lunatic he was. He didn't even notice Rock shrug and gun away in _his_ car. The only thing on his mind was _'Kyo, that little shit, is here to steal my TV again and I'm gonna fucking fold him in half!'._

His eyesight began tunneling as he stomped his way up the stairs as quickly as he could. He whipped around the corner and burst through his front door to find Kyo Kusanagi standing in his living room… no doubt about to uninstall his new television.

"GET FUCKED YOU FUCK!"

Iori hardly registered the panic on the other man's face as he charged. Normally in this situation, Kyo would be grinning his stupid trolly grin.

And normally, he wouldn't be able to grab Kyo. Iori was convinced his rival was some sort of time traveller, because _somehow_ Kyo always knew what he was going to do next. Iori was just as surprised as his victim when he caught the other man about the waist and plowed them both headfirst into the carpet.

"Got'cha now, bitch! Stay away from my TV!"

"What the f..._Yagami_? What the hell are you...what the _hell_ is going on?"

"Fuck you mean, _what the hell is going on._ You sure as hell know! This is the fourth time this year! The fourth!"

He seized Kyo by the collar of his shirt and gave him four shakes for good measure. Kyo looked as shocked and confused as Iori had ever seen him. He had grabbed onto his attacker's wrists and was making a sorry attempt to dislodge Iori's grip and throw him off. If Iori had been less angry, he might have noticed _this_ Kyo didn't fight like the one he was used to. The other one would have wrestled him into a chokehold by now... but he was going to get his licks in while he could.

After all, that was why Kyo was here for, right? Steal his TV, eat SouthTown Cuisine at his expense, and to play _'beat other silly' _for a few days until he flew home.

So right now he was probably expecting to be dragged out to the street to be set on fire and punched for half an hour. It was the natural course of their interactions.

So without a moment of either hesitation or restraint, Iori wrenched his rival's arm behind his back, and began dragging him out to the balcony.

That was when Kyo began hollering. "Wait! _Wait! _Yagami! Where the fuckin' hell _am_ I?"

"In my house you shit! And I'm gonna eat your fucking liver!"

"Your house? The fuck..._where_?"

Iori narrowed his eyes and whirled to throw Kyo across the threshold of his door. The other man had quickly risen to his feet and fell into a defensive stance. He looked suspicious and slightly nervous. He had memory loss. He was fighting like shit. What…

_Is this one of those shitty clones? _

No. He knew the aura of the Kusanagi sword like the back of his hand. This was the one and only Kyo Kusanagi… and he had probably taken acid or something.

Iori rolled his eyes and planted his hands on his hips. The snarl stayed etched in his features, but it was just bravado. Kyo wasn't in any shape to fight, and Iori didn't want to piss the other man off _too _much. Attacking an inebriated man was a little low. Even for him.

He walked forward and crossed his arms to lean against the doorframe. Kyo watched him warily from behind raised fists.

"Alright, fess up. What did you smoke?"

"What did I…? I don't smoke, Yagami. Where the hell am I? Is this Osaka?"

"_God…_ they let you fly all fucked up? Seriously, what drugs are you on? Does this look like Osaka?!" He angrily gestured toward the street. "You're in fucking SouthTown you idiot!"

"SouthTown? Wait...you don't live in SouthTown. You've always...when did you move to SouthTown? You've always lived in Osaka, Yagami."

"What?!"

If Kyo didn't look so sincerely confused, Iori would have set him on fire right there and started punching him. Sometimes Kyo tried to mess with his brain, and Iori already had enough confusion in his head to last a lifetime. He really didn't appreciate being fed false information for kicks.

But it seemed like Kyo was sincere, if not high.

Iori sighed and let the aggression drop abruptly out of his voice.

"I moved here five years ago, and you need to go to the hospital. Did you hit your head on the way here?"

"No! I was on a date with Yuki and...huh. Yagami...I just met you...well, the you that _I _know, in Shinsaibashi last week. You were up to your usual stalking and...yeah."

Kyo's voice petered out.

Iori deadpanned.

_Yeah. Definitely high._

* * *

Kyo was seriously confused. Iori Yagami lived in Osaka, Japan. He knew this very well. Only saw the guy every week or every other week, depending on how often Yagami wanted to confront him or just follow him because the other man had no life. He also wasn't this downright aggressive and certainly had nothing against him about TVs, because hell if he knew where Yagami lived. It wasn't as if his rival broadcasted his living quarters to him.

His rival maintained his own privacy. Besides, Kyo didn't want to know where he lived, anyway.

"Yeah, Yeah, whatever. I'm calling you an ambulance. Oy, how many fingers am I holding up? What's the name of Kagura's company? What year did you kill your family?"

"_What?!"_ Kill his family? Kagura's company? The fuck was Yagami - this wasn't the Iori he knew at all (And what was with his fashion sense? Iori wouldn't show up in public wearing _that_.) - going on about? "My family's still alive. For what fucking reason would I kill them?"

"What do you mean '_Reason'?_ Did you catch Alzheimer's or something? How the hell do you forget something like that? You just went loony and went at it… you fucking hated them for years. What's wrong with you? Oy, I'm calling an ambulance. Just sit tight."

Iori pulled out his phone and began dialing. Kyo attempted to sort his thoughts.

Shit. None of this made any goddamn sense. Was he in some alternate reality like in those movies that sometimes came from America? He was in SouthTown. Maybe Yagami knew something about that, but it was obvious the guy thought he was stark raving mad. Ha - that was a joke. Not that the Yagami he knew raved. The guy he knew was quiet - sometimes unnervingly so - which meant the madness was kept under wraps. He knew it was there - so did Yagami - but the other man didn't like the world to know. Except during the tournaments. That was the only exception and both of them knew why.

'Cuz Iori only wanted to fight him. Everyone else was a nuisance.

"_Hello. Yes I need an ambulance. 180 Knight Street... I think an overdose? Not sure… It's for my friend." _

Iori was on his phone and his tone was serious. Was he really calling for an ambul...shit!

"Whoa! I don't need an ambulance! Yagami...oi! You listening to me? Don't. Need. An. Ambulance!"

"_Yeah… Please send one right away- " _Iori covered the receiver of his cellphone to address him. His behavior was a complete 180 from before. Just ten minutes ago, he'd been tackled to the ground by a snarling lunatic. Now, that same lunatic was calmly dialing emergency services for him. He spoke as if bored.

"Yeah, but you don't remember anything so you're definitely fucked from something. How the hell did you think I lived in Osaka? You only break into apartment every two months to sell my fucking TV. You're going to the hospital. Kagura will kill me if you die."

"What?" In between this absolutely inane conversation - what the hell was _this_ Yagami on? - Kyo began to feel his stomach protesting. He'd only been in the middle of a date with Yuki, moving their relationship to a higher level, and they both had gotten food because they needed it. When his stomach rumbled, his mind sputtered _"Oh shit"_ and in between the goddamn heat and the sunlight coming down hard, he was reminded of a very significant necessity that was now required. Very much so. Badly.

"Fine. I'll get checked out, since you're so worried. But can I get something to eat first? I'm starving, man."

Iori sputtered at that. The snarl was back.

"I'm not _worried._ Jeez. Stop saying shit like that. It's why everyone thinks we're sleeping together."

"The fuck? Why would I..._ew_."

"It's all your fucking fault too. You say all sorts of weird shit for kicks. Last KOF you told the reporters I give kickass blowjobs. Fuck man. _And_ doesn't help that you fly over here to bum around my apartment for weeks at a time, _and _…"

He seemed to hear Kyo's stomach complaining.

"Fine. What do you wanna eat?"

Kyo was resolute in ignoring the first part of Iori's rant, because...ew. Why would he say that? Why would anyone _think_ that? Hell, if he said something like that within earshot of the Yagami he knew - the quieter one - Iori would just raise an eyebrow and retort with all the sarcastic wit he had. Which was plenty. He ought to know. "Does SouthTown have ramen, or is it just the stuff Bogard talks about? Hamburgers, fries, all that?"

"Hell man, we're not barbarians… let's go."

Iori shrugged, pocketed his cellphone and started down the stairs. He froze halfway down and carefully scanned the empty street. Kyo followed him warily.

After a moment, he tossed his head back and shrieked at the sky.

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY CAR?!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_King of Fighters, Kyo Kusanagi, and Iori Yagami belong to SNK_

**Comments**: Now Nanomemes' Team Murder and RinoaDestiny's Team Chill completely meet up. Two Kyos and two Ioris. And things get even more weird, haha. Once again, enjoy!

* * *

_*Creak-Thud*_

_*Creak-Thud*_

_*Creak*- "Goddammit, finally..."_

It was 11pm when Iori was startled awake by his houseguest slamming his way around the apartment. It seemed that Kyo Kusanagi had decided to leave for the evening. He had been acting a little bit strangely earlier - maybe he had a stressful day, Iori wasn't sure - but now that Kyo was headed home, Iori guessed he had reverted back to his normal self.

Iori had been grumpy, hungry, and tired when he arrived home a couple of hours ago… but now that he'd gotten dinner, advanced further into the novel he was reading, and taken a short nap (he didn't need much sleep anyways), he was feeling right as rain… good enough to take a midnight stroll.

In the dark.

Through the alleyways and along quiet empty streets.

Tailing his longtime rival.

_Old habits sure die hard… _

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he silently climbed out of bed. He threw on something warm to the sounds of Kyo creaking and slamming his way out of the apartment. Was Kyo this noisy when he was at home? Iori knew a lot about his rival - since he followed the other through most of his days - but nighttimes were at the Kusanagi household and Iori knew better than to show up there. When the front door closed with a click, Iori was wrestling with his socks. He paused as footsteps faded - Kyo was out the door and heading down the street. Iori sighed, stretched, and languidly exited his bedroom to find his keys and wallet. He didn't expect to be out too long, but wanted to lock up regardless.

_There… _

By the time Iori was out the door - the wind cool against his skin - Kyo was only about a block away. He was heading in the direction of the main train station in Suita - as expected - but seemed unsure of his steps and moved more slowly than usual. That was interesting. Kyo tended to walk quickly and with purpose; his current pace indicated he was lost. Iori wasn't complaining. It made his 'job' easier.

_It's 11pm… the last train heading for Esaka Station arrives at 11:15… I don't think he'll make it... _

Iori briefly adjusted his coat before heading down the street in pursuit of his rival, who had yet to notice him. Not that Iori cared if he did.

His neighborhood was typically quiet in the evening. Residential buildings were closely packed in this area, and the streets were winding and narrow, bordered by the fences and outer walls of individual houses. The evening was cool and Iori strode along to the chirp of crickets and the sound of far off traffic. Breathing deeply, enjoying the night air, he continued down the street. Ahead, Kyo had stopped beneath the overhang of a 24-hour convenience store to make a call. His expression was worried until he noticed Iori approaching. Upon recognizing his stalker, he looked briefly surprised, then grinned and waited for Iori to close the distance.

"Aww, sup Yag. Sorry, did I wake you? Hey, can I borrow your phone? I've got nothing._"_

He held up his cellphone which clearly displayed zero bars - Iori didn't recognize the brand or make… or the provider for that matter. He blinked at it, then responded.

"Well, you could certainly be quieter." Iori had heard about nightmare roommates - sometimes even psycho ones (even the girls) who would butcher their fellow acquaintances - but Kyo would qualify as a noisy-ass one. He'd never get any peace and quiet with him banging around, slamming doors left and right. "Who are you calling?"

"Heh, imagine _Iori Yagami_ telling me to be quiet… the world is upside down, man. I bet you can't imagine what I normally put up with."

Kyo chuckled and shrugged, then seemed to belatedly hear Iori's question. "Oh, I'm not calling anyone. I just need GPS. Wanna check out the Kusanagi Estate… I mean, it's still standing… right?"

Iori quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah. Why wouldn't it be? Did something happen?"

"Oh, nice… no, nothing happened. Wait, do you know if the clan is still there? Like… anything in the news?"

"Not that I've heard of. Old man Saisyu is still up and kicking and the clan's going strong. Why'd you ask?"

Something unhinged flashed over Kyo's expression at the name '_Saisyu'_ but rapidly shifted away. He had put his grin back on, but there was something strange about the way he spoke. Something was definitely suspicious.

"No reason. I just gotta go there and see them. Can I borrow your phone?"

Iori knew when secrets were being withheld but that mere flash of something _off_ in Kyo's expression told him not to pry. He'd seen that unhinged look earlier tonight and once again, he was reminded that Kyo wouldn't hesitate to try to rip him apart if he felt threatened. It was an odd feeling - usually, Kyo didn't give him those vibes - so he didn't even bother asking further questions. "Bring it back when you're done," he said, relinquishing his phone to his rival. "No digging through my stuff."

"Ha, I won't share your nudes, don't worry. Give it here." Kyo made the comment almost offhandedly. He took the phone, found the Maps App, and began studying it.

Nudes? The fuck? Iori made no comment but put his hands into his pants pockets. He wasn't _that_ kind of guy. Did Kyo know something he didn't or was there some shady shit happening that he was unaware of? Couldn't be. Anyone who tried that would find themselves in the emergency room or buried six feet under if they really pissed him off. Trying to pull that with him was an automatic death sentence if he caught them in the act, and no one he knew would be that goddamn stupid.

"Right… um, Dotonburi's first bridge… then… Suita Station… _oh shit_, the train leaves at 11:15?! Dammit!"

Iori hovered over his rival's shoulder and saw the time. Kyo didn't seem uncomfortable with his proximity at all, which was a bit strange. If Iori didn't know better, he would have thought the other man rather liked to hang about him. But obviously… that…

"Shit, 11:10? Oy, we've gotta go."

_We?_ He didn't have any train to catch. Why was Kyo including him in this? The other man usually wanted him to keep his distance as far as possible. All that he needed was to follow the app on his phone and -

"Come on bitch! Hurry! We're gonna miss it!"

Kyo pocketed _his_ cellphone and bolted - full tilt - down the long road toward Dotonbori bridge. Even his footfalls were loud, but Iori couldn't deny he was _fast, _even if he didn't quite know where he was going.

Iori blinked, then shook his head ever so slightly before loping after him.

* * *

"_-you have the keys to the Volkswagen too! Last week you said you needed it to move a sofa-" _

"…"

"_Don't tell me you misplaced it, I love that car!" _

"_..."_

"_What do you mean you 'think' Terry has the keys?!"_

Kyo felt better, now that he was out of the sun and not being attacked by the crazy version of his rival. He sat in the back seat of a taxi next to…a badly dressed, English-speaking, and very angry Iori Yagami yelling into his phone.

They were supposedly on their way downtown where there was some good ramen to be had. Kyo was starving, and hoped Iori was treating because he didn't make a habit of carrying American currency on his person (not that he had any reason to, having lived in Osaka, Japan all his life). He guessed his Japanese bank-issued credit card wouldn't work either. His phone had no service and Iori had never heard of his provider. He was essentially stranded with no money or communication, and that would make anyone anxious.

"_You need to make sure you don't have both of my keys, alright? what?-... Fine… And don't crash for god's sake, my insurance is high enough, also pay for your own gas this time!"_

"_..." _

"_of course! You literally stole my car, at least pay for gas! ... Ok bye."_

Iori hung up with a huff, and stuck his phone back into his jeans. He reached backwards to stretch, then adjusted his ugly-looking John Lennon sunglasses and pulled out a cigarette for a light. He looked relatively calm.

Kyo had a billion questions to ask this...weird version of Iori, and now that the red-haired man wasn't trying to break his arms, Kyo felt this was as good a time as any to do so. Kyo had been itching to ask him to elaborate about what he meant by _'moving to SouthTown five years ago'_, and hopefully find some information concerning getting home.

"So, uh…" he said, hoping to break the ice without disturbing the other man's calm, "why'd you move to SouthTown? I thought you had it all in Osaka - your band and all."

Iori seemed to blink out of his stupor and turned to slowly to look at him dead in the eye. Kyo was never one to shirk at eye contact, but there was something very strange about this Iori. The other man spoke in a deadpan, but Kyo perceived there was something rumbling beneath that thin farce of normality.

"Why? Hm. Because I hate violence. I wanted to get out of the family business so I hi-tailed it to the US… not that it's any better here." He yawned. "Kagura really puts me to work, you know. Heidern too. When shit goes down, they call me and that sure as hell keeps me busy."

He glanced lazily at Kyo, then shrugged. "You might not remember, but they called you too once. That was a crazy one. Fucking clones everywhere and all that jazz. That sucked."

Heidern? Military? Ikari? But Iori hated - _hated_ \- military types and said as much during one of the more recent tournaments. Iori would never work alongside them. Kyo caught the tail end of Iori's comment and shuddered. Clones? Fuck. That brought NESTS all back in his memory again and he didn't need that recall, thank you very goddamn much. And what was this about him being called by Ikari for what? Clones? Goddammit.

"Why'd you bring that up, Yagami?" he said, voice closer to a snarl than his usual calm. "You know better than that."

Iori seemed unfazed. He merely shrugged.

"Hey, if you can think of anyone else to kill for that, hit me up. I'm always ready. Oy, you feeling, ok? Wanna step out and throw down?"

With this guy? He'd had enough of being swung around like a fucking lightweight earlier. If it was the Yagami he knew - the saner one (stalker nonetheless, but actually reasonable - ha!) - then maybe. The most they'd give each other were minor burns, some bruises and scratches, and then walk away, knowing that another fight was around the corner. Usually at Yagami's insistence, but whatever.

"No." Simple but his voice was hard as stone.

Iori looked surprised.

"Huh, Alright."

He turned away, wrinkled his brow, then turned back. His expression was very slightly concerned.

"You sure, you're not gonna go burn down your house after this? Right?"

"What the hell are you talking about? What about my house?"

"... shit dude." Iori looked at him with a tired expression. "You burned down your house. You fucking killed your family. You survived a Zombie apocalypse. You're the most stereotypical fratboy on the planet and you sometimes cut yourself - at least when I'm not doing it for you. What else do I need to tell you?"

Kyo looked hard at Iori, very certain he'd never done or experienced _any_ of those in his life. He'd remember, if he did. "My family is still fucking alive, Yagami. I have no reason to kill them - didn't I tell you earlier? What zombie apocalypse? Like in the movies?" He made an idle gesture, dismissing it. "No comment for the rest."

Iori emitted a barking laugh. He looked a little sad.

"Well… then I suppose It'd be … much better for you to forget." He seemed to consult himself for a moment. Turned to say something, reconsidered, then fell silent. After a long minute, he sighed.

"So no ambulance."

"I'm okay, Yagami. It's not like I'm bleeding to death."

A curt nod, then Iori's expression went dead. He turned to press his forehead against the windowpane and didn't say anything else. Kyo huffed and glared for a moment longer before rolling his eyes and turning away. The taxi shot into a highway tunnel, and the car grew dark as if to match his mood.

Iori… even _this_ Iori knew about NESTS. Why the hell would he bring that up? Was he trying to piss him off? Did he want a fight? Did he think it was fun to trigger his trauma?What an assh-

"_What the_-"

The car swerved very slightly and Kyo flinched. He looked up. This tunnel was really long - _hang on, are those streetlamps?!_

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

It was dark, but Kyo could tell Iori's eyes were wild. He likely had realized it was now… evening in … _Japan?! _Iori savagely clawed a hole in the window and glass dust flew everywhere. He was on high alert and Kyo noticed that as he swung around, he slashed cleanly _through_ the steel which sectioned off the front and back windows. _Whoa… _

"_Where the hell are we?! Oy I said Downtow- WHAT THE HELL?!"_

Iori had whirled around to grab the taxi driver who should have been seated in front of him. But instead of grabbing the driver's shoulder, Iori clawed at empty air and pierced five holes in the leather seat. He looked as shocked as Kyo felt.

_No driver?!_

The sudden chaos had caused Kyo to momentarily forgot his woes. Adrenaline pounded in his head as he seized hold of the seat in front of him. He was feeling dizzy with all this whirling. The car skidded wildly without its driver, and Kyo offered up a short prayer before kicking the door open.

He stared at the asphalt grinding beneath him and wondered if he should risk leaping from the vehicle before the car went off the side of the road and fell two stories into the streets below.

_Now or never… _

Kyo undid his seatbelt and prepped his leap, only to nearly get kicked out of the vehicle as Iori launched himself into the front and struggled over the center console. The sudden shove was unwelcome and Kyo instinctively grabbed hold of the door to avoid getting thrown out. He yelled a couple of curses into the wind as the car teetered on two wheels - nearly flipping. Offering a second prayer to whichever deity heard him, he threw himself back into the middle of the seat and clutched onto the passenger side headrest, hoping that Yagami knew how to drive this runaway vehicle.

Luckily he did.

Iori Yagami was screaming curses as he seized control of the car and jolted them away from the ledge. He continued screaming curses as they narrowly missed barrelling off the raised highway and into the train rail. His profanity only stemmed when the car fell into a gentle cruise on the highway's slow lane.

Kyo released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He glanced over to Iori who looked equally frazzled, but had stopped yelling, opting to hiss through his teeth. Kyo had been angry at _this_ Iori a little bit ago, but now he empathized with him. That was unnerving and they'd nearly ended up as spattered grease on the road below, if it wasn't for the fact that this Iori knew how to drive. That had been fortunate. Maybe he'd shortchanged the man in his mind - he had some strengths of his own, insensitive though he might be.

If he just didn't bring up NESTS again, everything would be fine. He was willing to give him a pass after that save, because...he never saw himself going out that way. This Yagami prevented that.

Kyo breathed heavily and sighed. He closed his eyes and pressed both palms against his forehead until his hands stopped shaking. It seemed Iori was trying to quell his nerves as well. There was a moment of precious silence.

Which Iori loudly broke.

"Fucking shit! Kusanagi you fuck, look over there!"

Iori had gouged through the steering wheel with one hand, and was pointing at two figures jogging over a bridge with the other. Kyo frowned and leaned forward, craning his neck to look through the windshield as they passed by. He blinked once, did it again, and stopped himself from doing it for a third time because his eyesight wasn't fucked up. Was that..._what?_

What the _hell_ was going on?

"Those bastards fucking cloned me! Holy fuck!"

Kyo flinched at the word and was about to raise a protest until he saw the utter unhingedness of Iori's expression. The red-haired man looked crazy. Not the weird, stalker crazy. And not the annoying crazy that shows up wherever you want him to least… this was axe-murderer crazy. The serious kind that needed to be locked up.

Yeah, those people were them. Undoubtedly. But to suddenly show that kind of bloodlust? The hell? He made to reach for Yagami's shoulder, thought twice about it, and withdrew his hand. Cleared his throat uneasily. "Uh, Yagami...shouldn't we...you know...just find out what's going on?"

Suddenly, things started making sense - as oddball as it was - and the fact that they were in Japan meant...

Iori turned to snarl at him, his lips pulled back to reveal a set of gums. His eyes looked slightly glazed over and the skin on his face was drawn tightly over his cheekbones. He sounded as nasty as he looked.

"Shut the fuck up Kusanagi, I've had enough of fucking NESTS. I've killed thousands of them, two more won't hurt. These fucks are gonna die!"

Kyo almost headbutted the seat in front of him as Iori smashed the brakes and the car squealed to a stop. He could see the two figures in the rear view looking at them. With a clack, the taxi shifted into reverse and they began accelerating backwards.

He squinted and looked at the two people again as they got closer. Shit, that _was_ Yagami. The Yagami he knew, because while the other redhead looked baffled, his air was completely different. Sane. Composed. And if _'taxi'_ Yagami was going to fucking murder him and that other Kyo…

He wasn't going to sit here and let that happen. As much as _his_ Yagami drove him up a wall sometimes, the other had allied with him time and time again to stop Orochi and proved himself to be an asset in team battle. And Yagami had no idea what was about to happen, which meant…

He raised his voice, taking a significant risk here, and yelled, throwing his volume higher than he usually would at this time of night. "Yagami! _Stance!_"

Iori would understand that. He saw the other react immediately, falling into his telltale position, arms stretched out, hands curled claw-like. The swaying of his body, the alertness drawn into every line of his frame. He didn't have to see his face to realize how intense his expression would be. How prepared the other was now for battle.

The… '_other' _Kyo also heard him. Confusion momentarily flashed across his face, before he broke into a grin. His movements were easy and he motioned for… _not-crazy_ Iori to stand back as the car came barreling in their direction.

Did 'other Kyo' not understand the situation? Or did he somehow know how to handle the raving lunatic who had literally carved through steel before Kyo's very eyes. Either way, all he could do was pray as the car skidded to a halt and _taxi_ Iori tore the roof off to and lunge at his double. Kyo threw the car door open and scrambled out just in time to watch _taxi_ Iori charge down the two figures standing on the sidewalk. Flames burst and crackled around him as he flew down the street, melting viscous puddles in the pavement where he set foot. He released a chattering, guttural scream as he ran, and he was sprinting impossibly quickly.

It was unnatural.

He looked like a devil.

Sane Iori's eyes widened for a brief startled second before his face went still. Kyo saw his arm stretch further and higher, knew what he was going to pull out in an attempt to stop the madman in his tracks. He hadn't seen that technique in years but knew Yagami wouldn't have forgotten it. Eight Wine Cups. It meant Yagami had sized up the threat and was escalating in response, knowing that this mirror him meant business. Lethal business. Yagami wasn't taking any chances.

"Oyy, Gammy you shit!"

Both red-heads turned to look as the street lit up in orange flames. _'Other'_ Kyo didn't seem to be concerned at all by the raving lunatic running full tilt at them - nothing but murder on his mind. He grinned, stepped forward to stand between them and…

Well, Kyo didn't know quite how to describe it. Even Iori seemed to have fallen very slightly out of his stance to watch.

It was style-less fighting. Powerful, Precise, and almost offensively simple.

A shove. A jab. A kick to the knee, and _taxi _Iori was reeling over the banister looking as shocked as everyone else. 'Other' Kyo cackled good naturedly and with a flourish, flipped the flaming man into the river below. A splash, then a cloud of steam exploded out from where he fell. The screaming was muffled as the man was submerged.

Kyo watched the water apprehensively, and felt a twinge of relief when a head popped out of the water and began coughing. _'Taxi'_ Iori seemed uninjured, and Kyo was relieved. After all, although he was an axe-murderer… he _had_ just saved Kyo's life a moment ago. He wasn't heartless enough to wish death on the crazy guy so quickly. Kyo exhaled loudly through his nose, then trotted over to his rival and his doppleganger - the grinning '_other_' Kyo - to which he nodded a tentative hello.

'_Other'_ Kyo acknowledged him in kind, and leaned over the railing to wave at _taxi _Iori. It seemed the dunking had washed the aggression right out of the man, and he had occupied himself with sputtering and swimming to shore.

'_Other' _Kyo chuckled to himself before shouting down at his rival_. _He seemed… almost happy to see him. His casual expression and easy expertise made it seem like he dealt with this sort of thing on the daily… something Kyo didn't doubt for a moment.

He hollered loudly.

"Oy, Yag!"

_(What the fuck man?!)_

"Nice of you to drop by. Hey, wanna meet you, except not a lunatic?"

_(Bitch, fuck you!)_

"He's nicer than you are! And I'd totally fuck him over you."

_(Dude, shut the hell up!)_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_King of Fighters, Kyo Kusanagi, and Iori Yagami belong to SNK_

**Comments**: The craziness continues with the four boys from Nano-verse and Rin-verse. Have fun!

* * *

He recalled the phrase flashing briefly through his mind as he charged down his doppleganger. He was still thinking it as Kyo Kusanagi… _his version_? cackled like the _bitch_ he was, and judo'd him over the railing, into the river, without a moment's notice.

_Eight Wine Cups?_

The stance was familiar as anything, he himself used it quite liberally whenever something needed deadly force. Iori knew the results well. Pillars of flame reaching for the sky, blowing holes in the floor below and incinerating whoever was unfortunate enough to be caught within the path of fiery geysers. A deadly technique…

And a badge of the Yagami Clan.

No clone could use that. It wasn't something you 'learned' from your genetic code. Yasakani martial arts was beaten into you with years and years of painful training. If it wasn't as natural as water, then you couldn't wield it. This _'Yagami'_ knew what he was doing… so this _'Yagami' _wasreal. For Iori, that was enough. As long as he hadn't been cloned, he was happy. He didn't even need an explanation as to why there were two of him...rather, he was quite interested to speak with this _'nice' _Iori.

_Wonder if Riot wants to meet him… does he even have a Riot? Oy! Riot?_

_(Confused Gurgling)_

_Hm._

_Judo _Kyo was standing up there on the bridge chattering away. He was wearing the John Lennon glasses (had probably picked it up from the parked taxi) and was making wide hand gestures as he joked with _'amnesia' _Kyo and _'nice'_ Iori. They seemed a bit frazzled and only responded half-heartedly to the - likely tasteless - jousting.

_A Kusanagi Specialty… well, he sure looks like the one I know… he's enough of an asshat to fill the role… does… he remember anything? _

Iori furrowed his brow and pondered as he clambered out of the water, briefly lit up to dry, then began clawing his way up the side of the bridge to flip up and over the railing. He jogged over to the group of three. One was a copy of himself - a legitimate one - and two were versions of Kyo, both legitimate as well. If either one of these men were _'his version' _then…

Well... then he'd have his friend back.

Kyo Kusanagi had accompanied him to hell and back, and knew him better than anyone else. He knew how he ticked, and simply accepted the way Iori was _(blood on his hands and everything)_ \- not because he was nice…but because he had done much of the same. They were partners in crime, and nobody could sympathize with them. They stood alone.

And ten minutes ago in the taxi, Iori was _sure_ he'd just lost his best friend.

And it broke his heart.

And it made him angry.

If he hadn't been flipped off a bridge and into a river, he might have butchered these two, then sent Riot out to do whatever he wanted to the city residents.

… but… this '_Judo_' Kyo was _'his'_... right?

He wasn't suffering memory loss?

Was he the same as befor-

"Oy, Yag! C'mere and give daddy a hug."

Iori narrowed his eyes at _'Judo' _Kyo, who looked and acted exactly like the one he was used to. He was wearing his famous shit-eating-grin, and his eyebrows waggled in a fashion that filled Iori with the overwhelming desire to punch him in the face. He spread his arms and cackled. Iori jogged up and seized him by the front of the shirt.

That surprised him. _'Judo' _Kyo grabbed hold of his wrist. The _'other' _Kyo and Iori flinched into their battle positions.

"You okay, Bro-"

"What country did I die in? Who owns KP Pharma? Who's my favorite footballer?! What's Riot's nickname for you?"

He spoke quickly and with increasing agitation. There was a rattling in his speech, and he did his best to keep his teeth from chattering. Kyo's stupid grin slowly faded and he quirked an eyebrow - likely pondering whether or not to throw him off the bridge again. His voice dropped into a more serious tone.

"Uh, you died in… Brazil. KP belongs to Chiz and… football?... heh, I don't think it's _'favorite footballer' _anymore. More like _'My man-crush'_ Brian Battler…and Riot calls me 'ORANGE'... Anything else ya wanna know about yourself, Yagam- _ouff!_"

Kyo emitted a startled squawk as he was wrapped in a bear hug and all the air was squeezed from his lungs. He looked shocked for a short moment, then started laughing (choking). Before he could catch his breath and make any sort of snarky remark -_ he always had one on hand_ \- Iori whipped him around and shoved him off the bridge.

Iori watched the laughing man fall with a keen satisfaction. He didn't even notice the other copies of them power-walking away. He reached up to adjust his sunglas-

_..._

… _ah shit._

* * *

They had decided to leave their doubles - their more erratic, roughhousing duplicates - to their horseplay by the bridge and moved off a safe distance away. Yagami had insisted on it, certain that the noise would get the police called sooner or later but Kyo noticed that Iori had colored slightly beforehand. Both '_Taxi'_ Iori and the _'other'_ Kyo were laughing and hollering all sorts of questionable things at each other. Kyo was now keenly aware of what _'Taxi'_ Iori meant with everyone thinking they were sleeping together.

Honestly, Kyo found it amusing with how mercilessly _'Other' _Kyo was teasing the crazy man. He did some light ribbing of Yagami himself, but to go so off-color? Never crossed his mind. Iori had a tendency to snark right back, often calling him a dumbass for not being book-smart (hey, it wasn't his fault school was boring as hell) and Kyo took that in stride. He looked at Yagami again and realized the other man was somewhat flushed, the light from the street lamp making that clear.

Interesting. What could've done that to Yagami? It wasn't often like him to look so...embarrassed? Self-conscious? Even uneasy?

"Hey, Yagami...what's got you so -"

Iori didn't even angle his head to look at him. "Nothing. It's nothing, Kyo."

"So...about all this...what happened at your -"

Behind them, _'Other' _Kyo cackled and yelled - seemingly as loudly as he could. Their conversation was momentarily cut off by the snippet of the counterparty's jousting. Beside him, Iori quickly reached into his coat pocket and brought out his box of cigarettes. Kyo snickered whilst Iori tapped one out and lit it - a wisp of purple flame briefly illuminating his face - and immediately sucked down a lot of smoke. Was Yagami really that unsettled by...

"Do I fuck pretty good or what? You were totally bottom, right? Does it still hurt?"

"_Ow! What the hell was that for?!_ _Don't touch me!_"

"I just pinched you, stop moaning."

"_Don't pinch me!"_

Next to him, Iori yanked his cigarette from his mouth and coughed. The other man was reddening, Kyo swore, and as the first light ashes fell from the glowing end of the cigarette, he saw his hand give a slight tremble. Huh. Now that _was_ interesting. What the hell? He'd never seen Yagami like this before. At all.

"_Fuck you, go away."_

"I thought you already fucked me? Wanna do it? Let's see who's better? Me or that other guy!"

"_Shut up for god's sake. I didn't fuck anyone!"_

Wait...was he referring to…? "Uh, Yagami," he said, turning to look at the redhead, who was almost as red as his hair. "Is that Kyo talking about me?"

His rival took another long drag of his cigarette before speaking. "He is. Horny bastard."

"Your double -"

"You mean the one who tried to rip my guts out? What about him?"

"He told me that people in SouthTown thought they...uh..._them_," he jerked his thumb backward at the still screaming and hollering duo, "were sleeping together. You know, because of all the stuff _'Other' _me likes to say. I don't think they actually are though..."

"_What?"_

Iori's expression was so perplexed that Kyo found it hilarious. His rival, one of the scariest people in the tournaments, always wearing a constant scowl, now looked anything but frightening. He looked...bewildered. Bewildered and something else Kyo couldn't figure out. His color had heightened again - at this rate, Yagami was going to be a perfect stand-in for one of those Daruma dolls - and he saw Iori's hand twitch, almost crushing the cigarette box.

"I think it's just a joke between them. You know, _'Other' _me also does this TV stealing thing. I think that's also a joke… a really bad one."

"That's not a joke." Yagami had taken a step ahead, sucked down more smoke, and breathed it out in trailing wisps before he continued. "Someone did try to steal my TV tonight. I just got home in time to catch him red-handed. Didn't bother him, though."

"So what happened?" Kyo was curious now. From what he'd seen, _'Other' _Kyo was a handful and Yagami was used to dealing with him. Not with someone like that.

"Apparently, I didn't go screaming for his blood, so he got really confused. Started banging around, making noise." A slight flick of the wrist and powdery white ash flew into the air. "When I asked him if he wanted dinner, he looked ready to rip my throat out. As if he was going to murder me. I didn't get it at the time - thought you were just tired or something like that. Shit, I _was_ tired. Had a long day and getting my blood spilled was the last thing I needed."

"So, did he stay for dinner?"

"Where else was he to go?" Iori seemed calmer now, color receding from his face. "He doesn't know the place, Kyo. Not like you do. He didn't even know the train schedules. You do. I thought it was odd. Osaka is his home, but it seems I was mistaken."

"Well, _'Taxi'_ you -"

"Is that what you call him?" Iori asked, tone darkly amused.

"You saw how we arrived."

"Ripped the goddamn roof off and came at me ready to kill. Yeah, I saw that." Iori dropped his cigarette and crushed it out with the end of his shoe. "You think I could've done anything against that? You had to have known what I was about to do."

"Eight Wine Cups, Yagami. How could I not know? You only used that in every goddamn tournament until a few years ago." Kyo put his hands in his pockets and stepped alongside Iori, who gave him a slight glance. "Motherfucker is strong, Yagami. Swung me around like nothing. But seeing those two...I can kinda see why."

"Would he have taken me down, Kyo? It's not every day I see myself coming at me."

"If you had launched that first -"

"It would've gotten him?"

"I think so. Why? You think you wouldn't have?"

Iori reached for another cigarette. "I'm not normally that crazy, Kyo. That speed, that agility - that's when I'm in Riot. On my bad days. I was going up against myself - someone that seems to get into Riot easily. I've never fought myself before...kinda hard to judge."

"You weren't gonna lose if you did."

"Oh? And you can tell how?" Yagami's sarcasm spilling in but Kyo had been around him long enough to know what that was masking. Not that Yagami was making much effort to hide it, which was interesting.

"Because if he went and actually hurt you, I'd have to step in."

"You would do that, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I would. You may be the most annoying asshole sometimes but you've had my back and I've had yours and there's no way in fucking hell that I'd just stand aside and let you get murdered."

"So you do think I'd lose."

"Knock it off, Yagami. Of course not. Because I'm here."

Iori raised an eyebrow, looking down at him. "And you say I'm possessive."

"Obsessive. Not that there's much of a difference for you, is there?"

The other man shrugged, a nonchalant movement that gave off vibes of predatory grace. "Semantics. Hey, I think they've quieted down. You want to see what's up with them?"

Kyo turned and saw the two. Rolled his shoulders back and began walking, Iori following behind. "Sure. Why not?"

* * *

Kyo was glad.

Before Iori… _his_ Iori showed up, everything was unfamiliar.

The streets were Osaka, but not _his_ Osaka.

That guy was Iori… but not _his_ Iori… He was too cool, too calm. It was almost unnerving the way he just stared quietly and ignored him. The _lack_ of aggression was more shocking than being tackled to the floor and set on fire.

'_Nice'_ Iori was a good guy.

But considering where he was now… Kyo didn't feel so comfortable around normal, good people. Well, a couple of years ago… no, even a couple of months ago he would be. But he'd recently done something that set him apart.

Of course, his public record was clear - Chiz took care of that. Legally, he was as blameless as everyone else, but word got around. Not many people wanted to associate with him after that, but it wasn't something that bothered him immensely. After all, all his friends deserted him once after NESTS. He merely sniffed when he lost them a second time.

He only needed a couple of people in his life. He didn't need fake people hanging off of him like parasites. He didn't need the fame or reputation… and he definitely didn't need that _shameful fucking farce_ called a family sucking his blood.

But that didn't mean he didn't want to see them sometimes… it had only been a month since then, and he was feeling a bit homesick. The family had ample money, so he'd gone and bought a place nearby, but occasionally he walked past the Kusanagi Estate's burnt out husk and felt a cold pang in his gut.

So when he arrived in this strange, unfamiliar Osaka… he seized the opportunity.

'_Nice'_ Iori hadn't managed to get him there, but _his_ would. He had literally shown up in a taxi for god's sake, and he was itching to go and have a peek.

He was sitting in the taxi's passenger seat - Iori had insisted they weld the roof back on - and was waiting for his rival to finish checking his two pockets for a 'not-wet', 'not-crushed' cigarette. He came up empty for the thirtieth time and it was making him agitated.

Kyo propped his feet up on the dashboard, adjusted his John Lennon Sunglasses (he had grabbed them before they sank into the river), and turned to grin at his rival.

"You wanna go ask _'nice'_ you for a cig?"

Iori curled his lip into a half snarl. It was fake aggression.

"I wouldn't need to if you didn't throw me off the fucking bridge!"

"Well you were about to kill yourself."

He snickered at that, and Iori rolled his eyes and started the car.

"Don't bother him anymore… I bet you tried to steal his TV, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"You're a dick."

"Hope you're not surprised."

Kyo chuckled. Iori snorted and revved the engine.

"Ha, I'm not. Where to, bitch."

"Drive me home, baby."

At that moment, there was a light knock on the taxi's window; both heads snapped over to look for the origin of the noise.

"Hey, where are you headed off to?" Their _'nicer'_ doubles had shown up - and were peering curiously through the passenger window. Kyo looked a bit startled as Iori rolled down the passenger window and leaned across the centre console. Kyo pressed himself against the seat as Iori struggled to make eye contact with the people he was talking to.

"Hey, other me, could ya set me up with a cig?"

'_Nice'_ Iori was holding his cigarette in his hand, but upon hearing the request, he put it back into his mouth and ripped the top of the cigarette box in his other hand open a bit more. With one smooth motion, he tapped out three - holding all of them in between his index and middle fingers (his hands were also large and he also wore a ring on his left hand) - and proffered them to _his_ Iori, who reached out almost greedily for them, plucking them from his hand.

"Heh, thanks."

"You need them. I should know." _'Nice'_ Iori withdrew but didn't step away from the taxi. _'Other'_ Kyo had propped an arm against the roof, having been the one who knocked to get their attention.

Iori retreated back into the driver's seat and happily lit up. He'd be dead to the world for a bit. And Kyo rolled his eyes. '_Other_' Kyo likely wouldn't appreciate that he intended on visiting… the other man's family. Especially if he knew what he'd just done.

"So? Headed somewhere?"

He opened his mouth to lie, "Just about to-"

"Kyo," the _'Nice'_ Iori interrupted them. "_He_ just showed up in my apartment. Where did you end up?"

"Ended up in SouthTown. At _that _Yagami's place." Kyo wasn't sure what reaction the _'Nice'_ Iori was showing but _'Other'_ Kyo's tone of voice told him that that Yagami likely had an incredulous look on his face.

"SouthTown?"

"Other you lives there."

"That's news to me. Can't imagine leaving Japan." A brief pause. "So you just ended up at his front door?"

"Yeah."

Iori popped over from the driver's seat and chipped in. Kyo grimaced.

"I left 'cause of Yakuza, didn't really wanna be a mob boss... Does the Yagami clan run the underworld scene here?"

At that, _'Nice'_ Iori bent down to look _his_ Iori face-to-face. It was a weird feeling and yet, not. It was very clear both men were different even if they shared the same face. They were two separate people, even if they were identical in all other aspects.

"No, it doesn't. I'm the only member of the clan left. I have no connections to the underworld."

"... The only one? You serious? What the fuck happened?"

Iori's gaze seemed to wander, then settled on _'other' _Kyo. He raised his lip into a snarl.

"_You. _Did your fucking clan do something?!"

For a slight second, something gave in the saner Iori's eyes. Kyo found it almost hard to believe the calmer man was capable of even showing that sort of emotion. He matched his doppleganger's aggression with something equally potent.

"Don't look at him. My old man died when I was thirteen. I left home. Survived on the streets, got a lucky break, started playing music and everything else you probably know. Met this guy in '95 and…" Another pause, which Kyo noticed _this_ Iori had a lot of. "I'm just the last of my line. That's it."

Iori blinked. The aggression fell off his face like a mask and he looked back and forth between the duo standing outside the car window. He nodded.

"He's your friend, isn't he."

"Calls me his stalker." A dark amusement behind the words, replacing the quiet somberness before. "Not that that stops him from throwing down with me when I ask."

"That's insist, Yagami," _'Other' _Kyo retorted. "You don't ask. You demand."

"And you oblige."

Iori sucked smoke and snorted.

"Ha, you guys talk like a married fucking couple. This guy," Iori elbowed him in the arm; he rolled his eyes. "Is ready to wed you two if you ask nicely."

That wrenched a chuckle out of him. The men outside looked dismayed. _'Nice'_ Iori turned away, coughing, color suddenly high. _'Other'_ Kyo just stared at him, shook his head, and remained where he was.

Kyo observed them for a moment before bursting out laughing. Beside him, Iori had turned back around to smoke and tap on his steering wheel, he was wearing a wry smile. Kyo stuck his head out of the passenger window and grinned.

"Alright lovebirds, hop in. You can start your honeymoon in the backseat. We promise we won't watch, right Gammy?"

"_Don't call me that!"_

"What. You _do_ wanna watch? You've gotta drive man."

"_Shut UP!"_

There was a familiar sound outside the taxi. _'Nice'_ Iori apparently overheard them and short of breath from coughing, made a distinct strangled sound. So that much was similar. _'Other'_ Kyo just sounded concerned.

"Uh, Yagami...you okay?"

The other man did some quick hand gestures, most of which were in sheer desperation.

Kyo cackled all the harder; besides him, Iori rolled his eyes and revved the engine.

"It's like a real Romeo and Juliet, haha - Right, given any thought as to who's topping yet? I mean that's important. If you don't plan these things beforehand someone is gonna be pissed off and really sor-_ack!_ "

Iori had elbowed him until he stopped talking, Kyo chuckled to himself and let off. Iori leaned over to fix the men outside with a serious stare. He spoke with a note of finality.

"Alright, it's late. You two, get in, let's get something to eat…"

He paused briefly as they clambered in. After everyone was seated, he turned to address the backseat.

"...and please, please don't fuck."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_King of Fighters, Kyo Kusanagi, and Iori Yagami belong to SNK_

**Comments**: Nano's Team Murder and Rin's Team Chill still hanging together. This one is more serious and doesn't have as much humor, due to circumstances in this chapter. It was a _very _interesting one to write together as things happened.

* * *

The drive wasn't as awkward as Iori expected, especially considering their rather dubious welcome… _'Honeymoon in the backseat?' who thinks of these things… _

Their rather eccentric counterparts sat in the front and were calmly talking to each other. From the snippets of conversation, it seemed they were comparing notes about how they had ended up in an alternate reality. Honestly, Iori still felt the idea was profoundly strange, and didn't think he could remain so calm had _he_ been transported to a different world.

The two men up front had a nearly indifferent air about them. As if they didn't care too much where they were, and had no real drive to seek out a way to get home. Strange for them to be so flippant. Back at his apartment, _'Other' _Kyo was so stressed out to suddenly be in Osaka, that he looked about ready to kill someone. But now that insane, _'Taxi' _ Iori was here, he looked like he couldn't care less. He was happily chatting in the front seat without a care in the world.

_And they called 'us' lovebirds… humph. _

They'd been driving for a couple of minutes and Iori felt like he had burned through at least half a pack of cigarettes in an attempt to keep his hands from trembling. He had gone beet red the moment _'Taxi' _Iori had turned and implored them, without a hint of amusement in his expression, to _not_ have sex in the backseat. At that, he nearly inhaled his _cigarette_ and began hacking his lungs out.

It didn't help _at all_ when Kyo began making concerned noises and pounding him on the back. Iori quicky slapped him away. _'Other' _Kyo up front noticed the commotion and started cackling. Even _'Taxi' _Iori was snickering. Iori felt a little betrayed by… _himself._ Moreso now, than when his duplicate tried to kill him. He understood the heat of battle, the bloodlust when it arrived without rhyme or reason but when it came to certain matters…

He was a bit more circumspect with those, or tried to be.

He was having a difficult time trying to be that tonight. It didn't help that their doubles up front found it amusing at his expense and continued, disregarding how uncomfortable it made him feel. Hell, they did this all the time to each other, it seemed. His only luck was that _his_ Kyo hadn't noticed.

Hopefully, it remained that way.

Turning to a different subject might help. If the two up front were sharing their experiences, then why not continue what he and Kyo were doing earlier? It seemed only Kyo had somehow been transported to SouthTown in America, but he had _'Other'_ Kyo in his apartment a few hours ago and even that had unsettling moments. Iori went through those few moments and decided to jolt their discarded conversation back to life.

After nearly killing himself on his cigarette, he kept his hands free but put them into his coat pockets. Their trembling was giving him away and he didn't like that very much.

"You've been coughing a lot lately, doing alright? _'Other'_ me didn't throw you off the bridge, did he?"

"Only been by you since…" Yeah, that was _not_ a good way to start off.

"I'm fine...just woke up near to midnight and it's cooler tonight. It'll pass." If he could pretend this was just some mild chill he got, an aggravated throat, he'd make it through this already long day and now equally long night. Part of him wanted to go back to bed, to sleep through the craziness but Kyo was here and he wasn't leaving him with these two. "So...did that version of me tell you anything interesting?"

Kyo looked up for a bit, brows furrowed in thought and nodded. "Apparently, he fights for Ikari. On their behalf." His frown deepened. "_His_ other half does the same."

"You mean…"

"Yeah."

Iori didn't say anything for a moment. So his double fought for Ikari, doing military operations? He himself couldn't stand the military types - something about them irked him. He would never stoop to working with them, no matter what. But his alternate - the one sitting in the driver's seat - did. Iori wondered what could have possibly happened that would cause _that_ Iori Yagami to do something so contrary to _their_ nature. He certainly was a man experienced with combat far beyond what Iori himself was used to - that speed and insane abandon could only come from hands-on experience - which explained their confrontation earlier.

Truth be told, he wasn't sure if he would've survived if they had clashed. He did tournaments, went after certain NESTS operatives on his own while Kyo was missing in 1999, and even killed an assassin sent after him when he was only a teen but _that_ Iori…

"Did he say anything to you before he fucking flew at me?"

"Was screaming something about how he was cloned and that he killed thousands of NESTS…" Kyo winced; Iori didn't miss that reaction. In front of them, _'Other'_ Kyo flinched as well. He didn't turn and address them, but it is obvious that word meant something to him.

"...He said two more wouldn't hurt and that you were both going to die."

That explained a lot. A bit too much.

Two more. Him and that _'other' _Kyo. No wonder the other man was ready to murder and brutally, too, by the looks of it.

Thousands of NESTS...clones? Thousands? How many was that? Iori didn't keep tallies on the people he'd killed but it was certainly way less than that. He didn't make it a habit to murder people, even if Orochi constantly belittled and jeered him, telling him to wipe out the Kusanagi clan. He'd simply raged and threw fits at the mocking voice in his head. Unless someone deliberately pissed him off, no one died at his hands.

He just wanted a normal life. As normal a life as someone like him could lead, granted the fates were even a bit partial toward him.

But _thousands_…

That explained so much about what happened earlier. Iori was now dead certain that he would've been slaughtered if the other even got within range. That was why he instinctively resorted to Eight Wine Cups to force the other man to keep his distance. It was an old technique - one he didn't use much anymore - but it served its purpose well and never failed. But if it did…

If he had unleashed it and _that_ Iori came bursting through like nothing…

Even Kyo stepping in wouldn't have helped. By the time Kyo reached him, he'd be dead. He knew his own brutality. There would've been no chance in hell he'd survive the follow-up, whatever it may be.

_He_ held back during tournaments.

This other him wasn't holding back.

Somehow, this additional knowledge about the man sitting in the front made him wary. He couldn't help it. That same instinct he had about everything - from the mundane in his everyday life to the serious life-and-death matters - was on full alert now and he never disregarded it. _He's not your enemy, but he's someone to watch out for._ A scarier version of him without self-imposed limiters, without any restraints. Unleashed, unbound, just full wild abandon.

_I don't want to turn into that._

Thinking this, he addressed Kyo, who had gone very silent next to him. "When you called 'stance', did you know -"

"Didn't know what he'd do but I knew you'd react. You did."

"Just like during the fights."

"Yeah."

Then something else that almost slipped his memory wound its way back and prodded him. "So _he_," and he tilted his chin in the direction of the passenger seat, "also said he did it once. The same thing-"

"Yeah." Kyo's expression was hard to read. "Can't see myself doing that, Yagami."

"You're a paragon of virtue, going by all the -"

"Oh shut up. All that is just media spin... I just can't see myself going out and…"

"Yeah. Neither can I, Kyo."

Iori sighed. Perhaps this line of conversation wasn't going to be beneficial to either of them. Kyo had his NESTS trauma and learning that the person driving them to eat ramen was actually a… _mass murderer_, wasn't particularly comforting. Particularly not for him, knowing that in some alternate world, Iori Yagami was just out there, murdering _thousands - _at someone else's behest. Perhaps, if he wanted to wander down a certain line of thought, _this _man was why he had it so rough. There was that concept about karma, right? Did it extend to him, across different realities?

He hoped not. Just the concept made him think worse possibilities and he didn't like any of them.

Kyo seemed to mirror his thoughts. He chuckled humorlessly as he eyed their driver - who was happily puffing away at his cigarette, insisting that red meat kept him healthy-... and was driving on the wrong side of the road. _Americans_. He looked innocent enough, but he was now very clearly a threat. Not an active one, mind, but something like a nuclear weapon which needed to be handled with care.

"So, how about _'Other' _me… He's a lot more normal, right? Got any trivia for me?"

Iori furrowed his brow and went over the night's events, cataloging them in his mind to keep them straight.

"Besides being loud as all hell… nothing much. Kept getting lost in my four-room apartment... Ah, he was asking if the Kusanagi estate was still standing."

"What?"

Iori shrugged and instinctively reached for a cigarette. Something told him he needed one, because...something about this next part just felt...strange.

"Was asking all these questions about his..._your_ family. Like if anything had happened to them and whatnot. Thought it was a bit weird. We were just on our way to catch the train going to Esaka Station to see them when we ran into you two."

There was a moment of silence between them. Iori observed his rival's expression turn from thoughtful to confused, shift to panic and then to outright rage. Iori waited patiently for the explanation, keeping an eye on the their duplicates up front. It didn't seem like they were listening, but they were only a few feet apart. Iori couldn't say for sure. What if they were listening and only pretended not to? What if this…

Kyo spoke then, and underneath his carefully controlled tone, Iori heard rage smouldering beneath like coals still hot from a dead fire. "Your double kept saying I killed my family. That I burned my house down. I told him my family was still fucking alive. But he insisted. So _something_ happened to them."

At that, Iori's eyes widened. His voice came out as little more than a whisper.

"For _what fucking reason_ would you-"

"He said I'd hated them for years… and one day I just snapped." Kyo clenched his fist until his knuckles stood white.

"But why would you hate them? I know you and your old man bitch and moan sometimes, but…" Something was very wrong here. His double was a mass murderer and Kyo was a...killer of his entire family? "You mean...your entire clan...just…"

He was alone because the Yagami curse did that. He didn't have much of a choice. But for Kyo - _that _Kyo, not his Kyo - to eliminate his clan down to the roots, except himself…

Madness was the only explanation. The man in the passenger seat was mental and he'd been in his apartment with those murderous gleams in his eyes…

Iori suppressed the shudder that almost overtook him. Kyo being mad just wasn't right.

"I just thought _'Taxi'_ you was being insane, so I ignored him, but… _he_ was on his way to my house just now… right?"

"Yeah." Iori kept his eyes on the two up front, trying to be subtle about it. "Other you borrowed my phone for the Maps app. There wasn't anywhere else he wanted to go."

"... do you think..."

Kyo's expression hardened, realization dawning upon him as Iori watched his face change. He turned his head slowly to face the seat in front of him, where _'Other' _Kyo was situated. The other man had threaded his fingers behind his head and had his feet propped up against the windshield. He was off-guard, and droning on about the benefits of eating fish, apparently in an attempt to convince _'Taxi'_ Iori that red meat was bad for him. He was… a pretty normal fratboy. He didn't look like someone capable of… _that._

But Iori recalled those _unhinged_ glances - possible blood spilled in his place at night - and reconsidered.

It was possible.

'_Other'_ Kyo seemed like a pretty reasonable guy, but there was a single inconsistency. Normal people couldn't tolerate the presence of crazies too well. Oftentimes Iori himself, plagued by his familial curse and Orochi in his head, went out of his way to repel the company of regular people.

So the fact _'Other' _Kyo was comfortable around - even liked to be with - _'Taxi'_ Iori, caused red flags to go off in his head. The 'other' Iori was a psychopath and mass murderer. He didn't seem to shy away from killing and it didn't take much to make him kill either. According to Kyo, _'Taxi'_ Iori attacked him on a whim, believing he was a NESTS clone - therefore deserving death. He didn't even care to check, and he didn't apologize afterwards. Life was cheap to him.

_I bet...they're both crazy. But 'Other' Kyo is just better at hiding it. More self-control, like me._

Iori noticed Kyo was staring at the back of his doppleganger's head with a peculiar expression on his face. He knew that look and braced himself for possible conflict. He was likely going to grab _'Other'_ Kyo by the throat and demand some answers; however, if he did - _'Taxi'_ Iori was sure to react. Iori sighed, wishing that he'd stayed in bed. He had already confronted this strange version of himself once, but wasn't eager to repeat the experience. Any clash between them wasn't going to bode well for him and if Kyo did as he thought he would, he needed to be faster than the man in the driver's seat.

Way faster. Before the other could react, could hurt him or Kyo.

Especially Kyo.

_These guys are no pushovers. If they fight...if they're anything like us in that regard..._

But if Kyo needed him, there was no choice. Kyo wasn't about to let him get murdered by that Iori.

Neither would he.

Carefully, just making it look like he was shifting around for comfort, he leaned forward a bit and waited.

* * *

"-Omega 3 fatty acid- _hurk?!_"

"WHAT THE FUCK!?"

Kyo's breath was momentarily cut off as a hand clamped down around his throat. Another hand came down over his right eye, and he felt the sharpness of a fingernail dig into his eyelid. He was momentarily bewildered, he had _not_ expected to be attacked, or otherwise participate in anymore confrontation today. Adrenaline exploded in his veins and he sucked air, flailing and throwing wild strikes vaguely backward as his air supply was slowly cut off.

_What the fuck?! S-shit! - _

Kyo looked out the corner of his eye to see his rival in a similar precarious position. In a split second, Iori's instinct had caused him to throw a clawing strike at the man currently threatening to gouge his eye out. He would have reached his target too, if his _'not so nice after all' _double hadn't seized him by the wrist and had hooked two fingers beneath his jawbone, over his jugular. The look on Iori's face was completely murderous.

_Be careful of the nice...ones...oh … haah… oh shit…_

'_Nice'_ Iori was anything but nice now, and the _'Other'_ Kyo was proving his proficiency in combat. While he may have looked soft - innocent - the hard gleam in his eye and his swift surprise attack wasn't the work of an amateur.

"Stay right where you are." _'Nice'_ Iori's voice was level and low but the coldness in it belied his otherwise normal tone. "Hurt him and you die. Start talking. There's something not making sense about both of you from what you've told us."

Iori responded in that telltale double voice again, he cackled his unpleasant laugh. Looks like he had called Riot out. If Iori was going to go insane, then he needed to stay cool. That's how they normally worked anyways.

"_You're _me. I'm not afraid to die, and neither are you. I died once for that asshole. I'll do it again… and I'll take you with me. Fucking try me you fuck! I'm blowing the gas tank! ...You bitches fireproof?"

Kyo felt his doppleganger flinch.

"You're not me." The saner Iori - who somehow still was, despite this sudden irrational attack - emphasized that by dropping his voice deeper. "I want a normal life. I'm not a killer...not of thousands. That's what you told Kusanagi, right?"

Another laugh. Iori's voice became more guttural by the moment and his teeth chattered through his words.

"Then _here we go-..._hold up, what?"

"You told Kusanagi you killed thousands. That two more wouldn't matter. Didn't you?" There was an undercurrent of something undefinable in the _'Nice'_ Iori's voice. "How did you get to that point?"

Iori froze at that, then put his other hand back on the steering wheel. His double released his hold on his wrist. The insanity was gone in a moment and his voice dropped from its demonic trill into a more somber tone. He seemed to relax and let down his guard, but _'Nice'_ Iori wasn't taking any chances. His fingers lay sharp and deadly over the other's throat - the left hand, Kyo noticed (not the right where he was within his reach) - and he knew how quickly it could end if the other Iori so much as moved his hand.

"How?... If you wanted to know, you could have just asked."

"You've killed so many. You would've killed me if _he_," a slight head tilt in his direction, "didn't stop you. You said other things besides. How you thought Kusanagi killed his family. We were going there, weren't we?" A direct look in his direction and the calmness in the other Iori's gaze was nerve-wracking. "How were we to know you didn't mean to do the same here?"

"Yeah, I would have… killed you I mean. Where else am I supposed to find a clone, huh? Only a dumbass would think you weren't NESTS." Iori's voice was flat and emotionless; he continued in that almost bored monotone. He popped the turn signal to make a left.

"And those NESTS bastards killed me while I was dragging that guy," he jerked at Kyo with his chin, "Out of the base in Brazil. Nobody does that to me and lives. Nobody does that to _him _and lives… so we killed them… all of them."

"What do you mean by all of them?"

A dry laugh.

"I mean _all_ of them. NESTS is gone. IKARI, me, Kagura… we've wiped them out. Nobody's left… and if we find anyone, they get the light. What they did isn't something we're willing to forgive, and I don't regret it for a moment…" Here he raised his voice, it was mocking. "Have _you_ got a problem with that, mister _'Please don't say Clone'_?"

Iori had turned his head to direct that at the _'Other'_ Kyo in the backseat. The movement caused him to scratch himself against those razors on his throat, but he didn't so much as flinch. A trickle of red blood trailed down into the deep collar of his shirt. _'Not-so-nice'_ Iori shifted a very quick glance from the corner of his eye to his rival, who had tensed. Kyo could feel the grip around his neck tighten.

"Kyo, don't." Well, wasn't _that_ interesting. "Don't let him goad you."

"Someone has to do the dirty work, and from where we're from, it's us."

"Ikari took care of that. Here, in our world." This time, _'Other' _Kyo spoke. "NESTS is a ruin thanks to them. They don't need us playing soldier."

"Well good for you. Congratulations. I guess our IKARI is shit. Go bitch to Heidern abou-"

Iori abruptly fell silent. Kyo guessed _'Nice'_ Iori was digging his _'not so nice'_ fingers into his throat.

"You made your choice. I've made mine. Do you sleep easier at night telling yourself that?"

Iori didn't appreciate that. The double growl was back, but he couldn't open his mouth for fear of impaling his throat on _'Other'_ Iori's fingers. There was a little bit of madness creeping back into his face, and he had unconsciously clawed through another section of the steering wheel. Half of it came loose and fell to the floor with a clatter.

'_Nice'_ Iori directed his attention to him, somehow monitoring both of them within that eerily calm gaze. "Also, what is this about the Kusanagi clan? If we release you both," and here, Kyo saw him look at _'Other'_ Kyo without pretense, "will you tell us? Or will we regret doing that?"

There was a long silence. Iori didn't respond. He just tapped his fingers on the remaining portion of the steering wheel as he drove. There was a snarl etched into his face and his eyes were cold. He jerked his thumb at Kyo, deferring to him.

The grip around his neck loosened. Kyo released a brief cough before speaking.

"Go ahead. We don't kill normal people… well, _he_ doesn't… and I'll behave."

"Kyo," his Iori's duplicate said and Kyo knew from all this who was the brains out of this duo, "let him go." At the same time, he saw the other Iori withdraw those lethal fingers as promised from his rival's throat.

Kyo hunched over and coughed as his throat was released. He wiped at his mouth, then plucked the sunglasses off his face and threw them violently at the windshield. They shattered. He kept his eyes fixed firmly forwards. He couldn't keep the frostiness out of his voice.

"What did you want to know."

"The entire clan. Why?" Oddly enough, it wasn't _this world's _Kyo Kusanagi asking that. It was Iori Yagami instead, who seemed to take the loss of his rival's clan rather...personally?

"You'll laugh, but it makes sense to me."

"Go ahead."

Kyo reached over to pluck the glasses back up. He began melting it into a puddle in his palm. He watched the liquid pool there as he spoke.

"I spent three months with NESTS, and nobody came for me. Not my family, not my friends… only Iori Yagami and Chizuru Kagura. That _fuc-... _My family had set me up, they pushed me to compete when they knew the danger. When I got captured, they didn't even search. When I returned, they tried to take my title… I stayed there for five years, but one day… _well._"

He made a vague gesture.

"Things happened. I was so angry, I couldn't see… when I was finished, everything was gone… _I… fuck-_"

Kyo curled his hand into a fist. The molten metal dripped down, pooling and hardening onto the fabric of the seat. He sighed, propped his elbow on the windowsill and held his forehead.

The _'Other'_ Kyo had remained silent during all this, as if pondering the information he'd been given. When he was done, the other man spoke. His voice was subdued. "NESTS took me after the tournament in 1997. I only found out after that I'd been gone for close to two years. I broke out of the facility myself in 1999. Yagami was following, but...I think it was more to see if I was still alive."

"I thought you were dead."

"Yeah, I know." His duplicate answered _'Other'_ Iori, tone still somber. "I didn't get home until it was all done. It was about...2001. Only after NESTS was burned to the ground and Ikari cleaned it all up, did I return. My girlfriend was still waiting. So were my parents. My clan. Somehow, they still believed I wasn't gone. Japan Team...Beni and Goro...they threw a celebration party for me afterwards. And Yagami, well…"

"Well, something in your life had to remain constant." It didn't take a genius to realize what _'Other'_ Iori was referring to. "You did give me a good fight back then, you know."

There was a long silence. Iori had turned away, he knew when Kyo needed privacy, and Kyo knew he'd strike this conversation from his memory once this was all over. There was something bitter in his throat, and his hands trembled no matter how much he willed them to remain still. He closed his eyes for a moment before shifting in his seat to look at his double. He wasn't sure what his face looked like, but when he tried to speak, his voice came out as a whisper.

"I still miss them. I wanted to see them, even if they weren't mine… I'm happy for you… Kyo, and I respect you. I'll stay clear of your folks."

"Thank you. I...uh, Yagami, this is…"

"It's yours, Kyo. Not mine to address."

"I'll admit we jumped the gun there...earlier. It's just...my clan means a lot to me and I'm still the heir and...well, I'm sorry."

'_Other' _Iori looked at his rival. "You always make it sound easy." He inhaled, as if an apology was the hardest thing in the world. If there was another similarity between the two Ioris, both of them were proud. Kyo knew that very well. "You protect him." This, he said to _his_ Iori. "While I may not be on the battlefield like you, Kusanagi is also my ally. Someone who has my back. I will not let him get hurt. I think you understand."

Iori glared out the windshield. He nodded curtly. He spoke slowly but his voice was hard. He was being a salty bitch.

"It goes both ways. His friends are my friends. His enemies are my enemies. You've made a friend tonight, and I'm glad for you... Now, if you mean it, pay for my booze. Good?"

"Fine," _'Other'_ Iori responded, now reverted back to being nice again. Beware the nice ones, indeed. "Kyo, where were you before you landed at his house? You need to call anyone?"

"I was with...oh shit, I was with Yuki! She must be...can I make two quick calls? Or texts?" His double pulled his phone out and was rapidly scrolling through his messages. "Shit. Shit. Shit. I hope they didn't put in a missing persons request for me."

"Text them, Kyo. It's past midnight now, and we've gotta take these guys out."

"Ugh. I had completely forgotten about...shit."

'_Other'_ Iori was amused again. "And you can't even explain why."

"Goddammit."

"Speaking of…" Duplicate Iori turned to him, Kyo met his gaze blankly. "You have my phone. Can I have it back?"

Kyo blinked and pulled the phone from his front pocket. It fell into two pieces in his hand. Looks like dunking, and _'flash drying'_ wasn't too good for circuits. Beside him, Iori caught sight of it and snickered, breaking his sour expression - _does he know his phone is also fucked?_

'_Other' _Iori looked about ready to pick him up and shake him for loose change to pay for the absolute wreck that was now in his hands. That, or as if he regretted ever getting out of bed.

Iori piped up. There was something harsh and sneering in his voice. Looks like seeing the ruined phone had broken him out of silence… not that it was any better.

"Alright _me_, no hard feelings. Go find a bar, and _I'll_ tell Riot not to eat anyone."

"_What?"_ Simultaneous from both their duplicates.

Iori snickered again. Kyo rolled his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_King of Fighters, Kyo Kusanagi, and Iori Yagami belong to SNK_

**Comments**: So we're past the confusion stage and charging straight into shenanigans now that the boys from both teams (Team Murder and Team Chill) know each other. Murder's Fratboy Kyo makes a reappearance and Chill's Iori's long night is only starting…

Enjoy the read!

* * *

"You alright?"

"Never better."

Iori had just finished taping his neck up in the bathroom, and arrived back at their section of the bar. He pulled the seat out with a screech, and plopped heavily into it. Kyo sat beside him. He was nursing his drink. He side eyed his rival, then opened his mouth to speak.

"So… just to be clear, we're not going after them. They apologized. That's it."

"I know."

"...and the Kusanagi clan too. The neighbors… everyone. We're leaving them alone."

"I said I know... _Excuse me, two Beers._"

The two of them had chosen to sit a bit away from their doubles. After being surprise attacked, threatened and questioned, it was natural for them to be distrustful. Being trusting of… _themselves_ was what had gotten them into this whole mess to begin with. It wasn't a mistake they'd make again. They had sworn a truce, and all was forgiven - but being friendly just wasn't a viable option at the moment..

"Yeah, well you look really fucking mad."

"Cuz I am really _fucking _mad."

Kyo should know why. Iori wasn't a particularly sentimental man, nor was he easily hurt by words. He couldn't really bring himself to get mad at being held up and threatened. The feeling of a knife at his throat was … more familiar than he'd like to admit, and he was cursed at quite regularly... But he still had his sore spots. Some were as raw as could be.

His two beers arrived with a clink. Iori snatched one up - almost viciously- and flicked through the top of one of the bottles, cutting it cleanly before taking a gulp. Kyo watched him nearly cut his lip on the keen edge.

"Did what he say bothe-"

"No."

"Are you-"

"Shut up."

They sat silently while Iori worked his way through his first bottle. He was starting to feel the buzz, but the dark cloud in his brain prevented him from cracking open the second one. He simply stared blankly forward and occupied himself with slowly melting the glass bottle until it became a viscous puddle on the granite countertops. Kyo huffed, then smiled. Iori narrowed his eyes.

"What."

"You remind me of the old days."

"What?"

Kyo smirked and put his bottle down.

"Remember when we first fought Orochi? You got the shit kicked out of you. You were like this for months afterwards, just looking pissed off and thinking about what you could've done different. You did the same after you got killed by NESTS… and I bet you were sulking for months after Crimson took your flames."

"I was. So what, what's your point?"

Kyo shrugged and picked his bottle up again.

"Nothing. Just not everyday you get to fight yourself. Not just physical either, mind games. I'd say it was pretty fun."

"_Fun?!_"

Kyo shrugged again and glanced at him wearing a wry smile.

"It's not like we were gonna die."

"How the hell do you know!? He was about to slit my fucking throat!"

The murmur in the bar fell silent for a moment. He'd said that a bit too loudly, but he didn't care. Across the room, their duplicates were staring at them. Kyo elbowed him lightly, but continued in his normal voice.

"He wouldn't have. He's not dumb enough to. Knew you were serious about blowing the gas tank… and now that I've thought about it… I don't think that's something they can handle."

Iori blinked and motioned for further explanation. This was a good distraction for him. Kyo fell into his lecture voice.

"I didn't realize it at the time, but when you asked them if they were fireproof, my guy twitched so hard he almost snapped my neck… I don't think they handle fire the way we do… I think if either of us lit up, it'd be over."

_That_ was interesting. He was working under the assumption flames would be as useless as they were on each other. If _their copies_ could be burned like anyone else, then…

_Wow. Risky._

Iori let his memory flick back. The engine was up front, but the petrol tank was in the back. He'd seen the insides of enough cars to have a pretty good idea where the fuel pump and filter were, and intended on blasting the entire area. He didn't make a habit of bluffing about _anything._ If he had gone through with it, would he have blown them both to kingdom come? Had he been in his copy's situation…

_I would have freaked the fuck out… Heh, that guy has got a bit of Kagura in him. I can respect that. Clever devil._

Kyo saw his reaction and laughed, shoving him in the arm as he did so.

"Pretty fun, huh? I was kinda pissed off for a bit until I realized that. I guess you're not a dumbass in every universe." He paused briefly as he was kicked in the shin. "He said he'd been on the streets since thirteen. That's pure survival, and even when he finds himself threatening some crazy pyro about to arson the shit out of a car he's sitting in- he's thinking about how to survive. I'll give him props... Besides, you almost murdered him like half an hour ago. Be fair. Lay off."

The two men across the room were still staring suspiciously at them. Kyo waved them away nonchalantly and gave an _okay_ sign. They didn't look comforted. Iori rolled his eyes and cracked open his second bottle. He didn't need to give any verbal indication he was feeling better. Kyo could read him like a book.

They sat in silence for a bit longer and the air about them settled and once again grew somber. Iori blew smoke in the air and absentmindedly made little marbles out of the puddle of molten glass on the table. It glowed a fiery orange. The barkeeper was staring nervously at it, and so were the other patrons.

Kyo sighed then addressed him. _Of course_ that guy knew what was bothering him. Iori had tried to kill him countless times for bringing it up. Wasn't it obvious he didn't want to talk about it?

"How've you been sleeping, Yagami."

"Be quiet."

_Apparently not._

They fell into silence.

Iori never slept well. Not ever. When he was a child, Orochi plagued his dreams. As an adult, his guilt came alive and attacked him. Waking was more restful than sleeping. Working was more restful than sleeping. He even preferred the killing fields to his dreadful bed. He hated when the sun went down, and he hated when the sky went dark.

Other people had said the same thing to him before. _"Do you sleep better at night when- (etc...)". _He never had an answer for that, but neither did he ever feel the need to defend his actions. Especially considering his reply was generally immolation.

Yet, when their doubles had questioned him - excuses, explanations, reasons… they came tumbling off his tongue - pouring out like a flood. It was desperate. It was _pathetic. _

Even _he_ had rejected himself.

And that shook him to the core.

His beer wasn't too interesting anymore. He poked a hole in the side, and liquid came spilling out. It hit the molten glass and steamed. He tried to mask it, but his voice came out bitter. He stared blankly forward as he spoke.

"Dammit, Kusanagi."

Kyo glanced briefly at him before his eyes unfocused. He was listening.

"Things could have been… a helluva lot nicer for us. We-... do you think we could've been _them_?"

He indicated toward their copies at the other end of the bar. They noticed, and seemed to be getting antsy.

"Dunno."

"Hm."

"But frankly, I'm a little jealous."

Kyo downed the rest of his bottle. His expression was blank as a board, but the beginnings of a sad smile turned the corners of his lips. Iori snickered and stood.

"Yeah, me too… I should go greet them properly."

* * *

Their corner was dimly lit and smoky. The two of them were sitting about a high table, perched stiffly on bar stools. They had instinctively chosen a spot against the back wall, from which they could easily survey the entire room. Together, they watched the locale's few occupants warily. A foreign couple were seated in the far corner, sipping martinis and entirely absorbed with each other. A group of Japanese corporate workers had taken up one side of the center bar - they laughed and joked in low voices. Kyo kept on eye on them all, just because he could...but they weren't his primary concern.

_They keep looking at us..._

Facing them, about halfway across the room, sat their copies. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder, smack in the center of the bar. Their faces, mirror images of his and Iori's, were illuminated by the dim lighting. Both of them stared straight forward like statues. His copy had cold, blank eyes. _'Taxi'_, as Kyo had come to call him, was more expressive. As he spoke, flashes of rage and despair flitted across his face. Occasionally, their copies glanced and motioned at them. Each time they did, Kyo felt an uncomfortable itch growing in the back of his head.

Kyo gripped his beer bottle as he watched them. He was so high strung that he hadn't even opened his drink. Beside him, Iori was burning through so many cigarettes, Kyo would've thought he was trying to create a smokescreen. He had started with three packs about an hour ago, and now he was ripping off the packaging for his last carton. At this rate, he'd need another three to make it through the night.

Kyo didn't look away from the two men as he spoke. The music in the bar provided ample noise to mask their voices; yet, he kept to a murmur. After all, although their faces were the same, Kyo was keenly aware that their dopplegangers were _very_ different from them. Not just in personality, but in ability as well. If _those two_ could survive an exploding car - like they claimed - who knows what else they could do.

"Yagami."

Beside him, Iori exhaled hard. Smoke whirled in spirals in front of him, dissipating into the fog that slowly gained permanence before them.

"What is it, Kyo?"

"I think...I messed up. We shouldn't have done that. Not to _those_ guys."

"I know."

They sat in silence and observed.

_'Other'_ Kyo didn't worry him too much. Although he'd made _quite _a grievous mistake, the other man seemed to come to grips with it easier, could understand why he did what he did. He had promised to leave his family alone and Kyo trusted his double to stand by that. They even shared a somewhat similar trauma regarding NESTS. Besides, it looked like he was the only one who kept _'Taxi'_ in check.

Kyo let his gaze settle on the man in question.

'_Taxi'_ Iori wore the same expression since his Iori first held razors to his throat. It was thinly veiled rage, as if there was a monster writhing beneath his human skin. He was seething the entire car ride, and even now, Kyo could almost smell the bloodlust rolling off him from across the room.

Just a moment ago, he was snapping angrily at _'Other'_ Kyo but had now fallen into silence. He was holding an empty beer bottle in one hand and melting it absentmindedly - as if it took no effort at all. It glowed a molten orange as it softened and collapsed onto his bare skin. He didn't even flinch, much less wipe it off.

_Fireproof… heatproof even. Both of them must be…he was serious about blowing the car up…we… we could have died right there… _

"Yagami," he said, keeping his voice low. "How did you manage that?"

"Manage what?"

"When _'Taxi'_ said he was going to blow the car up, you didn't even react. You just kept talking. How?"

Kyo leaned in more closely than he normally would in an attempt to stay discreet. He kept his eyes fixed on the men sitting at the bar. _'Taxi' _had begun balling up the molten glass and flicking the glowing marbles across the room. Some stuck where they landed. Others shattered.

"I just did." Iori played with the cigarette in his hand, turning it in between his two fingers. "You don't stop to think in those moments, Kyo. If you hesitate, if you even let him sense fear, he'll know. Couldn't let that happen."

"So you just…"

"Oh, I knew. I knew if he followed through, we were both dead, but…" Kyo saw his rival's eyes shift to look at their doubles. "If it was just me, it wouldn't matter so much. But…"

"I was there."

"Yeah." Iori's voice dropped even lower, his baritone rougher than before. Kyo wondered if it was from the constant smoking he did, particularly tonight. He looked tired but the confrontation earlier apparently kept him alert now. "Let him take you out? As if I'd let him do that." A subtle flick of the cigarette, the glowing red end pointing at _'Taxi' _Iori. "You see that, Kyo? Child's play for him."

"You could do that too, right?"

"That's not what I mean." The red-haired man next to him took another drag, inhaling the smoke deep before releasing it. "I don't know if he's doing it because he's bored, but...I have a feeling he can do this all night and not care."

"And you…"

"That's when I come to find you, Kyo."

Kyo rolled his eyes for a brief second before returning his gaze to the two across the room. "Right. How can I forget? My own personal stalker. Yagami, are you ever going to change on that? It's been how many years now?"

"I told you. Some things in your life need to remain constant."

"And you're one of them." Kyo resisted the urge to bury his fingers in his hair and groan. "Can't you just...take a break? Go do something else?"

"What fun will that be?" Iori's tone was wry. "'Sides, Kyo...after this long, I'm not about to quit."

"I see that."

"Stop bitching. Look...I think something's happening over there." Another flick of the cigarette, ash falling to the tabletop. "I wonder what they're talking about."

* * *

Kyo went silent and turned his gaze to the other side of the room. Iori blinked and peered through the self-made smokescreen he'd been working on. From the other end of the bar, _'Taxi' _seemed to come to some conclusion with the _'other'_ Kyo and stood up. As he did, he glanced at the absolute mess of beer and melted glass on the table, and it flared up. The beer evaporated with a violent hissing and the glass became liquid again. He scooped it up in one hand, dripping bits of it on the concrete floor, and walked over to the trash can to dump it in. The smell of burning plastic immediately filled the air. _'Other' _Kyo snorted.

_Not very considerate… and not very subtle either, huh?_

Iori watched the other redhead from behind his veil of cigarette smoke. Beside him, Kyo smirked and muttered a quiet _'Dumbass' _as the waste bin caught fire and flames licked out of the opening. _'Taxi' _ignored the _literal dumpster fire_ entirely, opting instead to grab more drinks from the barkeeper and go ba-

_Oh shit._

Iori tensed as his copy grabbed three beers and looked to them. He didn't seem as angry as before, but his gaze was sharp and his gait was aggressive as he made a beeline for their table. _'Other' _Kyo didn't seem to have noticed. He had gotten up and was meandering around the back of the bar - clearly looking for a restroom. If _'Taxi' _ tried anything, Iori doubted _'Other' _Kyo would be able to reach them quickly enough to prevent a fight.

Next to him, he sensed Kyo's panic. "Shit, he's -"

"Keep yourself together, Kyo," he said, volume so low he was almost whispering. "No sudden moves, no freaking out, okay?"

"Don't know how you do this."

"I've had experience," Iori said dryly. "You get used to it after a while."

It wasn't long before the other redhead reached them, closing the distance. Iori went still, was watchful but forced himself to remain as casual as possible. If the other guy was anything like him, being too alert - too cautious - would read poorly and after that deadly situation in the car, he wanted to prevent a third round of engaging in combat with himself. He was getting tired of that and tired in general. He wasn't up to it tonight.

"_Sup." _

Iori blinked. _'Taxi' _had a bit of an accent in his Japanese, likely from picking up other languages. He snatched a chair from a neighboring table and pulled it up with a screech. He put the bottles down with a clack and propped his chin on his fist - casual as anything.

He turned his sharp eyes to Iori, who met his gaze as calmly as possible. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kyo shifting silently. _'Other' _Kyo was nowhere to be seen. Iori briefly wondered if they had planned this and _'Other' _Kyo had left for some other reason...perhaps to seal off the exits or remove witnesses. Both had run _actual_ military operations before; perhaps they had been plotting something at the bar. After all, _they_ didn't technically exist in this world. If they killed someone - _especially_ their copies - no one would be able to prosecute.

Was _'Taxi' _Iori just there to distract them while _'Other' _Kyo worked behind the scenes? Iori narrowed his eyes.

"Sorry about the phone, buddy. That's on me. First time I see Kusanagi in two months and he throws me in a fucking river… had to return the favor. You know how it goes. How much?"

_That_ was unexpected.

"It's about 3000 _yen_." He liked being straightforward in situations like these. He was asked a price; he gave a price. Iori didn't stop to think about why the other's diction or tone was different from what he'd been expecting. Like he told Kyo, thinking too much could be a detriment when action was required.

"Hell is that in Benjamins?"

'_Taxi'_ had pulled out his wallet - and began thumbing through it. He pulled out a couple of hundreds; they were stiff - presumably from being doused and dried - and tossed them on the table. "Whatever. What's up."

There was no trace of either anger or aggression left in him. _'Taxi'_ had turned his attention toward one of the beers he had brought, and began carving through the glass. The lid came off with a horrible screech and he began sipping it contently. He either didn't notice, or he didn't care about the palpable tension which hung over the table like a haze.

Iori looked at the wad of cash - American dollars - in front of him and even without doing a quick calculation, realized his double had thrown at least ten or fifteen times the amount he needed to replace his phone. Making up for _'Other'_ Kyo's mistake? Seemed like they had similarities, even if… He snorted. Of course. He figured some aspects in general would remain identical, even if their personal experiences set them apart.

"You're very generous," he said, which was only the truth.

'_Taxi' _chuckled and made a vague gesture toward the ceiling.

"These last twenty minutes are gonna be hella profitable…. This music?" He took another swig. "Doesn't exist back home. I've got an album planned already… It's not plagiarism if… _you know._"

The cigarette in his hand was burning down to its last few ashes, so Iori ground it out in the fourth ashtray he had on the table and tapped another out of the box to continue his smoking spree. One quick wisp of purple flame and he was back to his usual laid-back habit. "This artist doesn't exist in your world?" Only one of the more well-known names in the music industry and someone big in the Japanese jazz scene.

"Nah. I've gotta keep on top of the music industry. I know all the songs. Business… you know."

"You also play bass in a band?" He'd jumped from band to band in the early years, since bands either folded or merged or members sometimes left for reasons unexplained. It wasn't until recently that he found a more permanent group, with which he'd like to stay. Although he was still considered a junior level, his playing allowed him some leeway and his band members were generally pleasant. None of that senior rank bullshit, which he hated.

"Started my own band. Used to play the guitar- I hired this kid though, so now I'm mostly mics. You?"

'_Taxi' _seemed to be distracted from the conversation, keeping half of his attention on the music blaring overhead. He was tapping the table to the beat and poking little dimples in the wood. He was off guard and distracted...likely not a threat.

"I just play. Don't sing. We have vocalists for that." Beside him, he sensed Kyo shifting back to a less wary position, as if taking his cue from him. They were like that - both of them. "If I do, it's nothing worth recording. Just songs for myself."

"Hm… ya hear that?" _'Taxi'_ cupped his ear, evidently not paying attention to what Iori had just said. "Modulated syncopation… fast as fuck too, one eighty… four? Must be hell on the drummer. Who the hell wrote that? It's amazing." He chuckled. "I'm taking it."

"Not like anyone would know. Wasn't that what you said earlier?"

"Right." He shrugged, then spaced out again. Happily third wheeling without even a hint of self consciousness.

Iori exhaled, once again filling the air with smoke. He didn't notice _'Other' _Kyo had returned and was eyeing them with a stupid grin on his face. He sat at the bar and was attempting to finish his beer as quickly as possible.

"Kyo." His rival was silent. Probably thought the conversation wasn't for him or maybe music of this type bored him. Kyo was more into rock, he knew that. "There's three of us. If you want, you can join in."

"I know. You just seem...it's kinda weird. Still is. Like talking to yourself." The brunet frowned.

'_Taxi'_ laughed at that. He sounded a lot more human than earlier.

"What's wrong, _me. _You haven't got voices in your head? I talk to myself all the time... need to tell Riot to shut the hell up cuz he's an annoying little shit. This is-" he leaned back and motioned to the table, then shrugged.

"Well, I admit it's weird, but not that weird. At least _you_ can hold an intelligent conversation, not like this idiot." He tapped his temple.

Iori raised an eyebrow at that. Glanced down at his cigarette and then looked back up at his double, at his mirror image. "Yeah, I got a voice in my head. Orochi. Came with the family curse." He hadn't intended for that to come out bitter but he'd always resented the bastard with his relentless mockery and how that made him prone to violent fits. "Never shuts up. Always telling me to go after him," he swung his hand in Kyo's direction, "and also his entire clan."

"Yeah? What a piece of shit. Bitch does the same to me, hurts like shit when they try taking over."

"They?"

"I've got three. Sucks balls."

"Who are the other two?" If his double had _three_ voices in his head, that explained a lot. Hell, he had enough trouble with Orochi. He couldn't even imagine three. Fuck.

"Well one's Riot. Like Blood Riot. I've been teaching him to talk, he likes paintball. The other just wants me to eat people." He seemed to notice the look of confusion on Iori's face. He made a poor attempt at clarification with, "The zombie thing."

Just when Iori wasn't getting this part of the conversation, Kyo jumped in. "Wait...didn't you say something about a zombie apocalypse? It really happened back home for you?"

_The hell?_

'_Taxi'_ Iori groaned and put his drink down. It looked like this was a question he was asked a lot. "Some NESTS fuckers wanted to free Orochi or some shit… made this curse? I'm still not too sure about the details, but we killed them and put an end to that nonsense. That's all that matters."

Kyo leaned forward, seemingly engaged with the topic. His cautious demeanor had dissipated.

"So there were actually people being bitten by zombies? Turning into them? Like in the movies?" If Iori wasn't aware of it before, he certainly was now. Kyo seemed to know more about this subject than he did and had seen movies about it?

"... well people were killing and eating each other. Close enough, right? Nowhere near as fun as the movies, though. The US quarantined us off and was dropping poison gas everywhere. Almost died."

"You pay money to go watch people eat each other?" Iori asked Kyo, ditching his cigarette in the ashtray. "What's so fun about that?" Then, he caught the end of his duplicate's statement and turned back to look at him. "What was that again?"

'_Taxi'_ provided no elaboration and replied in a flat voice. "I got gassed and almost died."

Iori remained silent for a moment. When he decided to speak again, his tone had changed. "Sounds rough. You're still here, though. You never stop fighting. Like me."

'_Taxi's _nonchalance was gone. He turned slowly to meet Iori's gaze. His voice was serious, but he wasn't angry. "You're right. I didn't stop fighting, didn't stop killing either. I got infected, then Riot broke out and did what he does best. Those were my fucking neighbors, Yagami."

Again, Iori found it best to not say anything for several seconds. "Sorry to hear that," he said, when the full weight of that had sunk in.

'_Taxi' _shrugged and was quiet. He returned to staring blankly at the wall and tapping through the long, awkward silence. Iori let out a slow breath and Kyo glanced at him. His eyes said _'don't fuck up'._

There was something his double kept repeating and it gnawed away inside his mind. He spoke once the bitterness had cleared the air.

"Riot...he's your third voice?" For Iori, the Riot of Blood was an unfortunate state he fell into due to Goenitz awakening it back in 1996. He hadn't been free of it since.

'_Taxi' _snapped back to attention. "What?... yeah, something like that."

"Riot is just something that…" He'd never explained this to anyone before or even tried. "It's just something that happens to me and...I see myself doing these things and...I can't get out. I can't stop it."

'_Taxi' _nodded, visibly digesting the information. "I don't get to watch when things happen…I just black out. Still drives me nuts and all. He's hella bloodthirsty - and he lets me know it. He's talking a bit now. It's still mostly screeching and growling, but you know - he's learned a few names."

"Such as?"

"He nicknamed Kagura, Cheese. Pretty cute, eh?"

Iori blinked. "That's...huh." He stopped to think about that a bit. "Our Kagura...how would she…?"

Next to him, Kyo chuckled. "That's funny. Yagami, maybe you should try that with Kagura-san."

"Hell no. She'd just shake her head and wonder if I'm all right."

_'Taxi'_ laughed as well. "Yeah, our Kagura does the same. I can't even tell you how many times I've been beaten up with paperwork for pulling some stupid shit."

"Kagura-san chases after you?"

"When we're being shitty, yeah."

"With paperwork?" Kyo was enjoying this too much, Iori decided. Just the image of their Kagura coming after them with a sheaf of papers, let alone smacking them, seemed ridiculous. She was always fashionable and proper and the only beatdowns they got were in the arena - if she fought. She hadn't fought in a while and since he and Kyo cooperated better in almost everything now, especially with sealing away Orochi...

_'Taxi'_ seemed to be enjoying the conversation just as much.

"Usually paperwork. Sometimes newspapers. Slippers. Whatever she can get her hands on. She visited our hospital room once and attacked us with a pillow because we were too busy wrestling to answer her questions. She's a ton of fun."

Kyo burst out laughing. Iori stared at him, not a little confused and surprised. "Hahaha. That does sound like fun. Maybe we should try it sometime...that's if Kagura-san -"

"She...I don't think she will." He went for another cigarette, because now they were talking about Kagura pillow-fighting and…

He was tired. Tired and confused, and Kyo was enjoying himself beside him, his laughter bright in the once silent bar.

"That's a pity. Kagura is super busy with her company and all, but still makes time for us. Once we crashed at her place to-..."

_'Taxi'_ had turned to face Kyo and was excitedly rambling off stories about their version of _'Chizuru Kagura'. _Iori exhaled and let himself relax. They had smoothed over the rougher edges left behind from their earlier standoff in the car and if Kyo had eased up significantly to laugh, then there was nothing to worry about. He watched his duplicate and Kyo exchanging stories - bits and pieces he heard and couldn't comprehend that it was Kagura at all - and took a smaller drag of his cigarette. The atmosphere had completely changed - warmer now (happier too) - and even the other patrons and the barkeeper looked less worried.

He dropped his shoulders and settled more comfortably on his bar stool.

That was when a strong grip seized him by the seat of his pants, fingers pinching hard through fabric. It was more the shock of it than the sudden discomfort that caused him to yelp, his voice rising higher than it normally would. He also dropped his cigarette and registered it falling off the table and onto the floor. There was a smear of ash on the side of the table, white against the dark polished wood grain.

A familiar voice spoke beside his ear. The tone was mocking, but friendly. He felt his pulse beating in his head as hot breath tickled his cheek. He couldn't even push _'Other'_ Kyo away if he wanted to. He was frozen stiff.

"Oy, Gammy. You speed-dating without me? You can't ju-..."

'_Taxi's _head turned toward them as if on a swivel. He bared his teeth in - what was obviously - fake aggression and snarled. He had yet to learn the situation Iori was in.

"Kusanagi, shut the fuck up and go buy me a beer."

'_Other' _Kyo, who up until this moment was pressed up against him quite provocatively, flinched and quickly stepped away. He muttered a quick, _'Oh Shit, sorry!' _before scurrying off to the bar. _'Taxi' _and Kyo had been interrupted out of their conversation by the yelp Iori _dearly hoped_ nobody had noticed, and _'Other'_ Kyo's rude… _interruption._

They watched _'Other' _Kyo leave, then their curious gazes settled on Iori, who couldn't move.

He was suddenly too warm - heat rising in his face and refusing to abate - and his double's scrutiny only made it worse. Kyo was staring too and… He tried to get another cigarette but his hands betrayed him by trembling and he almost fumbled the carton over the table, spilling the contents. Goddammit...he just had to let down his guard...

Kyo frowned. "Are you alright, Yagami? You look a bit red."

Fuck. What was he going to say? _Yeah, your double grabbed my ass and you've been near me all night and… _That wasn't going to help. At all. He didn't know what to do, how to...he wasn't good in these situations. Didn't usually end up like this.

'_Taxi'_ observed him with his flat gaze. "Oy, did you drink too mu- _ow! Kusanagi you fucking slut!_"

Iori flinched as his double made the _exact _same noise he did. He kept his eyes on Kyo, though, and observed - feeling outside of himself watching it - as the slow wheels began turning in his rival's head. Shit. Kyo looked from him to his duplicate and then slowly back to him, comprehension dawning in his eyes. Iori wanted to shrink against the wall, against the table but didn't. It'd give too much away - he was already too obvious now - and doing that would just be pathetic.

Iori wasn't the type to run and hide. But right now felt like a good time to do so.

'_Taxi'_ wasn't even staying to keep Kyo distracted. His copy had launched himself at his rival, and was currently being wrestled to the floor. _'Other' _Kyo was laughing. _'Taxi'_ Iori was cursing…

And Kyo had all eyes on him.

"Kyo, I…"

"Something you're not telling me, Yagami?"

Iori winced at his tone. Goddammit, it wasn't supposed to...he had just..._why_ did he let his guard down? "It wasn't...it doesn't...I…"

"Yagami, you stalk me. I get that. You hound me for fights. I get that, too. But you…" A pause and Iori watched with dread as the second layer of comprehension unraveled the rest in Kyo's eyes and the other's face changed. "You were turning red earlier tonight. Is that...related to this?"

_Shit. Ask me anything but that._

His silence spoke for him - far more than he could ever express in words. Kyo took his meaning - he always did (knew how to read him fairly well) - and then _something_ in his eyes changed. "So it _is_ part of that. When, Yagami? When did it change?"

_This isn't...what the hell am I supposed to say to that?_

Their doubles had finally decided the floor wasn't the best place to be rolling around, and they had begun making their way back to the table. _'Taxi'_ took the seat closest to him, but didn't break the pregnant silence. _'Other' _Kyo leaned against a table nearby, intentionally boxing himself out.

'_Taxi' _looked back and forth between them. He had a blank look on his face. Iori closed his eyes and waited for him to say something idiotic and make things worse. He almost chuckled. The moment he thought things couldn't get any worse, his double was here to prove that wrong and bury him in the hole he was standing in.

He opened his eyes again and tried not to look at Kyo. Didn't want to know what his expression was now. He was still flushed - self-conscious in front of everyone - and the bar had gone silent as his long night only lengthened, the seconds feeling unconscionably eternal.

He watched _'Taxi' _grit his teeth, stand out of his chair, and proceed to very obviously, and very violently ..._Kick over the bar table. _

There was a commotion as the businessmen sitting nearby scrambled out of their chairs to avoid the splashing liquid and shattering glass. The falling table had also caused him and Kyo to instinctively hop out of their chairs. They made grabs for their wallets before they fell off the table onto the floor. Green paper currency - _'Taxi'_ Iori's recompense for his phone - fluttered into the air and came to rest, scattered all over their side of the concrete floor.

'_Taxi' _stood in the middle of it - looking as unapologetic as he possibly could.

"Oh shit guys, sorry-" He turned to address the crowd. "Sorry, I'm shitfaced… it's fine. We're outta here…. _Oy, me - go grab a mop and some napkins, they're in the bathroom. _Kyo, _not you- get away you bitch,_ help me pick this up."

'_Taxi'_ looked him square in the eye and gave him the very slightest of nods. That was all Iori needed. He was _off_.

His double had given him a way out of this embarrassment and Iori took it, heading straight for the restroom. His legs had felt rooted to the ground and as he left, grateful for his long strides - trying not to look like he was fleeing (because he was) - he had to pass Kyo.

It took all his courage to glance at the other man…

But Kyo was looking everywhere he wasn't. Didn't seem to register him at all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_King of Fighters, Kyo Kusanagi, and Iori Yagami belong to SNK_

**Comments**: So this chapter confirmed the fact that the collaboration took an abrupt tone shift, which is why we changed the tag from 'Humor' to 'Drama'. Things get really serious in this one between the boys from both teams, so there is no humor to be had here.

* * *

Iori Yagami couldn't hold his alcohol for shit.

He had downed two-and-a-half bottles over the two hours they were sitting in the bar, and by the time they had helped the poor bartender clean the shattered glass - it was pretty clear Iori wasn't in any shape to drive. He was walking a little crooked and nearly tripped headlong over the threshold of the bar's front door. Had _'Other'_ Kyo, who was eagerly picking Iori's inebriated brain for details on the NESTS pathogen, not caught him by the back of his giant V-neck - he might have broken his nose on the pavement. The car was two blocks off, and by this time Iori was collapsing over every other crack in the sidewalk.

"So did they mutate? Like did they spray blood and gunk everywher- _ouf. Hey, you alright? The car's over there man._"

"No, no. They just said stuff. Like… stuff… Let go of me."

Ahead, _'Other' _Kyo had caught Iori by the arm for the umpteenth time, and attempted to direct him toward the taxi parked up ahead. Kyo snorted. Iori was getting better at hiding it when he got drunk, besides for not being able to walk, he sounded decently sane. He used to go absolutely stupid-ballistic, but tonight he had specifically asked Riot not to come out, so everything was more peaceful than usual.

_Which is what we need right now._

Kyo sighed and glanced at the man walking slightly ahead of him. _'Nice' _Iori wore a blank expression on his face, but Kyo could tell by his body language he was downcast. He had stuffed his hands into his pockets, and watched the back of _'Other'_ Kyo's head as he followed. There was an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips.

Kyo rubbed the back of his neck.

He felt bad about what had happened. For as long as he'd known his rival, he found one of the best ways of getting on his nerves was to behave in an overtly sexual manner. Both knew it was just jousting, and nothing was ever supposed to come of it. Iori had always hated it, and it seemed like it made _'Nice' _Iori uncomfortable as well - but for a different reason.

It was now evident _'Nice' _Iori had a rather unconventional attraction to _'Other' _Kyo.

Kyo snorted at that.

It wasn't as if Iori's relationship to him was any less conventional. Although Yagami had no romantic interest, he displayed a feverish devotion which one could only describe as _'unconditional love'. _

Iori only cared about one thing. That he was Kyo Kusanagi.

Iori didn't care what sort of stupid nonsense he pulled. He barely acknowledged the crimes Kyo had committed. He didn't care about right and wrong either - he had no problem adhering to Kyo's decision no matter how ridiculous or morally dubious it was. When it came to NESTS, he was there blasting people to bits. With IKARI, he was there helping him hold hostages. Andevenafter _the incident_ a few months ago, where everyone had been horrified? Not Iori. Iori didn't give a shit. For him, nothing had changed.

Kyo chuckled coldly.

_It'd make more sense if he were actually gay…_

Looked like both Yagamis had their quirks.

The two men up ahead had reached the taxi and had wandered off the sidewalk to the driver's side of the vehicle. Kyo shivered involuntarily as the cold chill swept through the empty streets. It was nearly three in the morning, and he was beginning to feel tired. Kyo watched as his duplicate, who had accompanied Iori to the far side of the car, caught the red-haired man by the arm before he kissed asphalt, again. Naturally, Iori was complaining.

"_What are you doing?! Let me go...I'm fine."_

"_Yagami, you're really drunk."_

"_You don't know me! Move, I'm driving... Gotta get home, I need to feed my cactus."_

"_Haha! What?"_

'_Nice'_ Iori had come to a stop at the other side of the vehicle, and watched coldly. _'Other'_ Kyo seemed to be getting along just fine with Iori, and was snickering at the man's asinine drunk talk. Iori was doing his best to remain serious, not realizing everything he said made so little sense he might as well be some sort of sad comedy routine. It didn't help that he had asked one of the baristas for bobby pins and he now looked like he belonged in asylum.

On any other day, Kyo might have gone over and harassed him, but that would be wildly inappropriate right now. Standing next to _'Nice' _Iori made him feel like he was participating in a funeral procession. Kyo exhaled hard and came to a stop alongside the other man, who glanced briefly at him. Kyo mimicked his posture, stuffing his hands into his pockets and gazing across the taxi's roof.

_Well… I guess they're having fun… _

Kyo didn't know how to apologize, or even if his apology was welcome. After all, the catalyst which had instigated this entire chain of events was entirely his doing. _'Other'_ Kyo was behaving like his rival didn't exist. _'Nice' _Iori looked positively downtrodden. It was something Kyo felt was profoundly unfair… but after all, that _'other' _guy wasn't him…

… _gonna try and toss the guy who went through hell with you? You… that's not… haah._

Kyo sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. He shouldn't be indignant. This was nothing. After all, he himself had turned on his rival after Iori nearly killed him during the Istanbul KOF. Iori had run - and rightfully so - to some godforsaken town in Sweden, because the whole Kusanagi clan was out for his blood… and Kyo was at the forefront leading the charge.

They had _actually _tried to murder each other for two years after that. There was a fear between them that had never existed before. The relationship was only repaired after a _literal_ zombie apocalypse. From then on, they stuck together like two peas in a pod.

'_Other' _Kyo ignoring _'Nice' _Iori for twenty minutes should mean absolutely nothing… but Kyo was compelled to provide the other man some silent company anyways. He wasn't even sure if the other man appreciated his presence, but at least like this he'd know _someone_ was paying attention.

_*Thud*_

Kyo grimaced as he watched his rival hit his head against the doorframe in his attempt to climb into the driver's seat. He was _hella_ drunk. In the state he was in, he'd definitely kill all four of them. _Two and a half beers… what a pussy. _

Beside him, _'Nice' _Iori vocalized the thoughts running through his brain. The man's voice was low and seemed to rasp very slightly. His tone was incredulous and held a bitter tinge.

"That guy's driving?"

Kyo sighed and stepped off the curb.

"Not if I can help it. Take the front. Don't need his drunk ass sitting shotgun."

* * *

Kyo Kusanagi was making every effort not to look at the man sitting diagonally from him. He kept his attention fixed raptly on _'Taxi', _who was now experiencing the full effects of the beer he'd ingested. Unlike the Iori that Kyo was familiar with, _'Taxi'_ had a shockingly low alcohol tolerance for a man of his stature. He was pressed up against the opposite window and rambling nonsense answers to whatever questions Kyo asked. There were certain times where Kyo was _sure_ he was speaking a different language, but he didn't care.

Anything to keep him occupied… and to discourage Iori from speaking to him.

_Don't look at me… just…. _

Iori kept glancing at him - Kyo watched him half turn and fix his gaze on him, evidently listening for an appropriate opportunity to interrupt - something Kyo was determined not to give him. The last thing he wanted was to confront the other man. Actually, he didn't even want to look at him. Kyo's memory flicked back to all the times he was in any sort of close proximity to Iori and wrinkled his nose in disgust.

_I don't… I don't think we can go back to before… _

Kyo didn't know why - but the fact Iori considered him in _that_ manner was simply unacceptable. It was weird. Kyo wasn't comfortable with it.

He didn't want to deal with it.

He wanted nothing to do with it.

He wanted nothing to do with _him. _

Kyo wasn't _homophobic _by any means_. _He was a generally nice person, and tended not to make assumptions about people. He couldn't care less about what people did in the privacy of their bedrooms - so long as it didn't involve him_ directly._

But this was direct. As a human being, he was allowed to determine who to keep close, and who to push away. He had tolerated his stalker for years. Although he couldn't say he particularly liked the other man's company, there was some comfort in the regularity of his visits.

Kyo had always thought the habit was borne from Iori's weird obsessive personality. However, having considered how the other man felt about him, Kyo was getting a clearer picture into his rival's psychology - and he wasn't liking it one bit.

For all it was worth, Kyo would be quite happy if Iori never spoke to him again. He had asked his double in the driver's seat to take him to the nearest capsule hotel, and they were quickly reaching their destination. All Kyo needed to do was to ride out the next ten minutes - then he would be free of this nonsense forever.

He sighed against the glass and turned his attention back to what _'Taxi'_ was saying. Kyo had asked him a couple of minutes ago about his clan's mafia activities, and _'Taxi' _Iori was slipping between English and what sounded like Spanish. Kyo didn't understand a word.

"_So you know what we did? Cortamos eso putamadre en fucking half. Right en frente de su hijo too. Pendejo deserved it. That's what happens when you fucking rob us. There was also this other time when-..." _

'_Taxi's _tone was becoming more and more rambling, and it seemed he had begun arguing with the headrest in front of him. Iori, who had been trying his best to hide his nervousness, flinched forward as _'Taxi' _jabbed a finger into the leather cushion behind his head and began hissing.

_Shit..._

It seemed that until this moment, the only reason Iori had refrained from addressing him was he typically didn't like to interrupt others. Kyo had been working hard to keep _'Taxi' _talking - but when Iori turned around to find his double's attention fully occupied with the back of his chair, it was clear he saw his chance. He cast his gaze to Kyo.

Kyo gritted his teeth and turned dramatically to look out his window, showing Iori his back. He focused on the streetlights passing by and made it as clear as he possibly could, that he didn't want to talk to anyone. If only _'Other' _Kyo had driven faster, he'd already be checking into his hotel - ready to put his rival behind him entirely.

"Kyo...I -"

Before Iori could get a word in, Kyo jerked forward to tap his double on the arm. _'Other' _Kyo seemed to be concentrating very hard on driving and flinched violently at the contact. He gave Kyo a very brief dirty look before fixing his eyes back on the road. He didn't look in the mood to talk, but Kyo decided to hold a conversation anyways. Better him than Iori.

"You can drive faster, you know. There's no one on the road. Just gun it."

He leaned forward until he was nearly hovering over his copy's shoulder. _'Other' _Kyo huffed a response. For whatever reason, he seemed unhappy.

"I haven't driven a car in two years. If you don't wanna crash, leave me alone. I need to focus."

"Ah… okay, um… "

Out of the corner of his eye, Kyo noticed Iori staring at him. He grimaced and tried his luck again with his double.

"So… what bike do you ride?"

There was a silence as _'Other' _Kyo ignored him. Iori took the silence as an opportunity. Kyo curled his lip into the beginnings of a snarl and his eyes went hard.

"Kyo, I need a word -"

Something akin to anger welled up and overflowed in his chest. Something else burned like hot liquid behind his eyes. Kyo whirled on his rival and snarled; the sound came out nastier than even he had anticipated. When he spoke, his words dripped with searing venom.

"Was I _talking_ to you, Yagami?"

That shocked him. He retreated, nearly shrinking into his chair as if injured. Beside him, _'Taxi' _ had stopped talking to the chair and had turned to look at him - eyes no longer unfocused. He noticed his double had stiffened and was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles stood white. Kyo huffed, then continued. He maintained his toxic cadence.

"That's what I _thought._"

Silence. It stretched tense and thin.

After a moment, _'Other' _Kyo broke it. His words were slow and measured. They held a sternness Kyo hadn't heard in him before. Something started stirring in the recesses of his brain.

"No… you weren't talking to him. But now he's talking to you. Have some _fucking _manners."

"..."

That was unexpected. Kyo narrowed his eyes. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Was this _murderer_ trying to boss him around? Ridiculous. He snapped, nearly hissing the words into his copy's ear.

"I don't give a shit about him. Don't need some thirsty fuckboy following me around. He can say whatever the hell he wants, but none of it is my problem. Go ahead and entertain him if you want! But I'm warning you, he might come crawling after you nex- _aack!_"

Whatever the front seat's reply was, Kyo didn't hear it. He had expected some backlash for those stinging words, but not nearly the amount he received… and especially _not _from the person he received it from._. _

"_you... fucking... PIECE OF SHIT!_"

It happened so fast Kyo didn't even have time to react. He heard the man beside him growl, and by the time he turned his head, _'Taxi' _was already bearing down on him - fingers outstretched and reaching for his throat.

Kyo's vision went white as he was bowled over into the seat. The force itself knocked the wind entirely out of him, and he was conscious of a knee pressed sharply against his hipbone, pinning him down. A set of deadly fingers wrapped themselves around his throat. By the time his vision returned, he was staring up into pure rage.

Kyo gagged, more so out of shock, than having his throat squeezed. _'Taxi'_ Iori screamed.

"You fucking coward! I should do your clan a favor and slit your throat right here! They should be ashamed knowing that their clan leader is such a bitch!"

Kyo didn't know why, but the moment he was seized, he automatically looked across to his rival. Iori had whirled and looked prepared to tear into his assaliant's back. _'Taxi' _didn't seem worried in the least - he didn't even glance behind him as the hooked claw came down on him like a scythe - ready to snip through his spine. Kyo couldn't help but feel a twinge of relief.

_What an idiot. You expect 'that guy' not to react when-_

An arm whipped out from the driver's seat and struck Iori squarely in the shoulder. He was hurled back to sprawl into his chair before he could touch _'Taxi'_. There was a panicked shout and the commotion up front seemed to be turning violent. Kyo thought he saw the flash of ignition before his vision was obscured by the man shaking him by the throat. His ears rang and he began fighting desperately. He threw a clumsy strike upwards and tried to kick _'Taxi'_ off. None of his strikes hit, and his attacker began hissing.

"You piece of shit bastard!"

The world spun. His struggling became feeble and he gasped for breath, but the vice grip on his throat didn't loosen at all. He had been talking and laughing with _'Taxi'_ earlier, and couldn't even imagine him to be the killer he claimed to be… until now.

_Fuck… is he… _

"Look at him!" _'Taxi' _whipped around to gesture wildly at Iori. He was alight with orange flames, but somehow wasn't burning. He trembled where he sat; yet, his eyes were fixed on them and his face was set like flint. "One wrong move, he's dead… but even _now_ he's trying to save your ass… _did you know?"_

He leaned in close, once again obstructing Kyo's view. The lack of oxygen was beginning to make him dizzy.

"Did you know, I would've killed you ten times _just tonight_ if not for him? The last time someone held that Kusanagi bastard hostage, a thousand people died. It's a miracle you're alive. _A fucking miracle… _andthis is how you thank him, you fucking bastard?! Where's your fucking honor?!"

'_Taxi's _clenched teeth clicked with each strangled word that escaped from behind them. His voice was burning contempt. Kyo saw the derangement in those dark eyes - they were cold, black and unfeeling. It was like staring down the barrel of a gun. This man was a serial murderer. This man was prepared to kill him.

And for the first time today, Kyo was truly terrified.

He grabbed the hands about his throat and ignited. Flames burst out and spread, running like frantic serpents up _'Taxi's _arms and enveloping him in the burning heat. The air around them rippled and crackled… but the man pinning him down didn't even blink. The flames danced harmlessly over him - as if they were nothing at all.

_Shit… shit! _

'_Taxi's _voice rang in his ears. Everything sounded like it was underwater. He vaguely heard his own voice protest and watched _'Taxi' _turn to address him.

"_Coward! You ungrateful shit!-"_

"_Yagami you fuck, hell you doing? You're gonna kill him." _

"_This is none of your business, Kusana-"_

"Let him go."

There was silence.

It was Iori who spoke.

His voice was quiet and stricken with grief. _'Taxi' _flinched and turned to look at him, but the stranglehold didn't loosen. Kyo's vision was beginning to go black. The strength in his hands was gone, and he was conscious of his arm slumping limply onto the car floor. Tears welled in his eyes as he gasped for even the slightest breath.

"Please. Let him go."

"..."

_..._

The first thing Kyo was conscious of was his own loud gasping. It rang in his head. He felt his pulse pounding where his throat had been squeezed. Sweet air flooded his lungs and his vision slowly came back into focus. He jolted upright, throwing his arms up in a clumsy defense as he scrambled backwards - away from _'Taxi' _until he was pressed against his window. He glared and tried to shout, but his voice came out strangled and weak.

"You! Wha-"

'_Taxi' _cast him a look dripping in such hatred that Kyo went quiet. He noticed the car was pulling to the curb outside a capsule hotel. Iori… _his Iori,_ was staring straight ahead. When he noticed Kyo looking at him, he turned slightly away so his face was hidden. _'Other' _Kyo brought them to a stop - clacked the gearbox into park, then folded his hands. He remained silent.

'_Taxi'_ stared him down. His face portrayed absolute disgust. He spoke slowly and threateningly.

"People like you, I can't stand them. You just want it perfect, huh? Someone gave their whole _fucking _life for you, but you'll treat them like trash for liking you in a way you don't wanna be liked?! Pathetic. Fuck you. Grow some balls... I'm leaving."

'_Taxi' _threw the car door open and stepped out. He slammed the door behind him, froze, then bent over to open it again. He held onto the roof and stuck his head in to address 'other' Kyo.

"Kusanagi, I'll find you tomorrow… and you..." He clapped Iori on the shoulder. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't verbalize it. Iori stared straight forward, unmoving. After a moment of silence, _'Taxi'_ withdrew and disappeared into the depths of the city.

"_Fuck." _

Kyo muttered as he watched _'Taxi'_ Iori stagger off. He seemed much more stable than earlier, but it was still obvious to the passerby that he was thoroughly hammered. Kyo gritted his teeth.

_I almost got killed by a guy who can barely walk straight… _

He sat there for a couple of long moments before exiting the vehicle. The men in the front seats were as cold and unmoving as statues. Nobody tried to stop him as he cracked open the door and stepped into the cool evening air. As he left, he felt eyes boring like needles in his back.

* * *

It was when Kyo left, without looking back, without saying a word, that Iori knew he had truly been abandoned. The car door slammed shut behind him - the sound echoing in the uneasy silence - and he continued looking ahead, uncertain of how to even process what had just happened. His cigarette, unlit and forgotten, had fallen to the edge of his seat. He didn't retrieve it. Didn't know what to do...how to even begin _living_ again, in a sense.

He'd thought he knew Kyo. That he and Kyo understood each other, having gone through years of being rivals and reluctant allies. That while he always dreaded Kyo knowing about his actual feelings, that at most Kyo would make faces and stay away from him in the way kids did.

What he hadn't expected was for Kyo to completely sever ties with him. How he'd talked to him? About him? That tone of voice? It was… He slowly leaned back into his seat and slumped into it. Kyo had hurt him in the worst way possible and he had nothing to counter it. Nothing at all.

His whole life from childhood until now revolved around Kyo Kusanagi. A life without his rival there...without his acknowledgment...being essentially dead to him was…

For him, what kind of a life was that?!

He sat there, frozen, numb and still in disbelief - the hurt running deep - until the slight movement of a car driving past on their left finally caught his attention and broke his stupor. He blinked and turned his head a fraction to the left to catch the passing tail lights. As he turned, he saw that _'Other'_ Kyo was still there with him, seated in the driver's seat and staring blankly forward as if he were dead.

The painful irony of that cut even deeper. The Kyo from another world was still here. He hadn't left him alone while _his_ Kyo had. Had left and likely wasn't coming back. Kyo - _his Kyo - _no longer considered him a rival or...anything, for that matter.

He let out a long breath.

Iori was tired. Tired beyond exhaustion. The ache had started when Kyo first spoke those words to him in the bar. And after what he said to him earlier…? Iori closed his eyes.

He just wanted to go home. He should've never gotten out of bed. Maybe he wouldn't be in this situation now if he hadn't. It wasn't fair, but he'd known life wasn't fair since the day he was born. He had never complained, but…

"Hey," he heard his voice roughen. "Can you take me home?"

He gave _'Other' _Kyo the address and then fell silent, not trusting himself to speak any more. The ache inside of him had moved into his throat and lodged there, threatening an onslaught of tears. He _wasn't_ about to cry. Clenching his teeth, he put his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. He saw his reflection in the night-darkened glass and quickly looked away. He didn't like what he'd glimpsed there.

'_Other' _Kyo glanced very briefly at him before starting the car. He'd been sitting silently with both hands on the steering wheel and even now didn't say a word. His expressions, which had been so easy to read before, were now entirely incomprehensible. The car started with a rumble and they peeled off the curb and into the street.

They drove in silence until Iori began recognizing the neighborhood. He was grateful for the quietness. He noticed _'Other'_ Kyo regularly took his eyes off the road to check on him. Checking to see if he was all right. To see if he was holding up. Iori didn't want to crack in front of this virtual stranger, but seeing that familiar face _worried _over him - especially after what had just occurred - was threatening to tear down his facade. All he wanted was to curl up and hide.

Just shut himself out, and wallow in his misery.

There was nothing he wanted more. He was done with this world. Nothing else, nobody else could ease the low groaning of his wounded heart. He felt cold. The silence covered them like a heavy sheet.

_I… I can't… _

That familiar voice broke the silence. The words were slow and weighty. Iori turned to look out the window… it was too close. The man beside him was _too similar _to the one whom he'd loved for years. It was as if life played a cruel joke on him.

"It's not your fault, Yagami."

It wasn't but knowing that wouldn't bring Kyo back. He'd seen the expression on his face. He could bear hatred - that was how they started - but he couldn't bear that disgust, that disdain...that cold-eyed dismissal of _him_ just for the knowledge to which Kyo was naive to only..._how many hours ago?_

He'd lost track of the time. He didn't want to know. It was easier that way. Beside him, Kyo's voice continued.

"You've given enough, there's nothing more you could have given."

'_Other' _Kyo was hesitant. Choosing his words carefully. Iori turned to look at him as he spoke, but quickly averted his gaze.

'And… _I'm sorry_."

Silence.

"You couldn't have known." He closed his mouth, shut it tight, was afraid to say anything more. _'Other' _Kyo didn't look at him when he spoke. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead. Perhaps to offer him some sort of privacy? Iori didn't know. But regardless, he appreciated it.

"Three years ago, I tried to kill Iori Yagami."

"Why?" It came out low and quiet, as though he was now afraid to voice his thoughts. He hadn't even needed to for _his_ Kyo to realize the unspoken.

"We were in a tournament, Istanbul. He Rioted and split me open - my guts were spilled out on the stadium… so for two years I chased him. I was going to boil his blood. If he hadn't run, I would have blown him to bits - piece by piece."

The turn signal ticked as they made a left. Iori turned to look at _'Other' _Kyo's face. The expression was bitter. It mirrored a deep regret.

"He didn't mean to do it, but I was too angry. After he got his flames back, we met again in KOF Paris. We almost killed each other again - in front of an audience of a hundred million people. To say I wanted him out of my life would be an understatement… I wanted to murder him with my bare hands."

"You still fought him as your rival," Iori said, tone bitter.

'_Other' _Kyo shook his head.

"Not a rival, an enemy. The hate is different. It's not somewhere I ever want to be again… it took time. I don't know your Kyo very well, but at the same time, I think I do."

"Three years." Iori scoffed but it was directed inward at himself. "It took you three years. He's...he's never going to...you heard him...how he…"

Kyo had cut him off mid-sentence with a tone so vicious it was shocking. Those words burned in his head, each one seared into his brain and radiating a suffocating pain. It had cut him deep. It had split him open. The wound was so grievous, Iori feared he wouldn't survive.

'_Other' _Kyo continued in his slow, measured cadence. Iori turned his attention back.

"Do you know what Iori did after that?"

They were pulling to a stop outside of the apartment complex Iori lived at.

"He ran. He was scared shitless. Terrified. Took a plane to a random country and holed up there for a month. You've seen enough of _him_," _'Other' _Kyo gestured vaguely. "You can imagine what it takes to make that guy turn tail and run… but even so, here we are."

He turned off the car with the clink. The low hum of the motor faded and died. Iori closed his eyes and listened, clinging to each word as if their utterance could save him.

"Throwing each other off bridges, laughing like idiots - just like before… but in between there were two years of hatredbetween us. That man died for me, and I hated him with everything I had. I was a fucking idiot, but in the end it didn't matter."

'_Other' _Kyo turned to gaze at him for the first time since they began driving. His face was wooden, but his eyes were sad. Iori wished with everything he had that Kyo was the one sitting here with him, not this otherworldly duplicate.

"Hang in there, Yagami. You're a damn tough motherfucker… you can handle it."

Maybe if given time. But not now. It was still too raw and the wound was still open, still bleeding. Iori opened his car door, paused, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he turned back to the Kyo sitting in the car with him. "You don't have anywhere to stay. You know the place. Might as well spend the rest of the night."

Iori turned and started heading in the direction of his apartment. Behind him, he heard _'Other' _Kyo slam the car door and follow, his footfalls mirroring his. As he climbed the steps leading to the second level of the apartment complex, he reached for his keys, dimly aware that it'd only been hours ago when he'd taken them to go outside. It'd been a night like most other nights, except...it wasn't.

He pushed his way into his home, somehow removed his shoes, and let his feet carry him to the living room, where he seated himself on the couch in the dark. He became aware that _'Other' _Kyo was no longer following him. Judging from the clinking, the man had presumably disappeared into the kitchen to fetch a beer. As he sat there, surrounded by everything familiar - everything else drastically changed - the ache returned, full force in his throat and deep inside of him and everything that Kyo said and did to him, he recalled, sharp and hurtful and forever embedded in memory.

The room began to blur, becoming indistinct. His eyes grew hot and wet. He reached up, if only to stem the beginnings of it; his fingers reached into his hair instead, covering his face. He couldn't hold it back.

Tears spilled from his eyes and he found himself hunched over, shoulders shaking as he fought to keep it from turning into sobs. He'd known it would hurt, but like this?… Grief? Pain? Even brief stabs of anger?... _oh, _but it kept coming. He couldn't stop it now that it had started. He was conscious of tears dripping from his chin and spotting his pants. They were warm and wet where they landed.

That was when he heard familiar footfalls approaching.

Along with all the other emotions stewing within him, Iori felt panic rise there as well. He heard _'Other' _Kyo step into the room and immediately, dread began to pool in his stomach. He didn't want to cry, much less cry in front of someone he'd met a couple of hours ago...but what could he do? He covered his mouth and did his best to keep his breath from hitching. His cheeks were slick as hot tears ran down and he shut his eyes and hunched in on himself - ashamed.

He didn't dare look. He didn't trust himself to gaze upon _Kyo's _face and not lose himself. He felt that if he did, he'd crack. Just break down entirely. Why did he invite this man into his home… what was he thinking?!

"_Fuck."_

He flinched at that. The voice, _Kyo's voice,_ was concerned and carried an undercurrent of rage. There was a pause and a clink as two bottles were placed on the coffee table.

Iori was frozen, tears running down over rigid fingers. What was this _'Other' _Kyo thinking? Was he looking at him with disgust? Just like _his _Kyo had? Perhaps pity, treating him like some pathetic kicked puppy? Maybe he was disappointed? After all, just minutes ago, _'Other'_ Kyo had encouraged him to stay strong. Look at him now, buried into himself with tears running down his face. He didn't look strong. He didn't feel strong. He just felt…

There was too much roiling through his mind - too much shattered tonight - and that thought alone slicked his face anew with fresh tears.

"_Dammit, come here you bastard." _

He flinched as the other man spoke. Then flinched again - shocked - as Kyo sat down beside him and pulled him into a tight embrace. There was no disgust in the other's actions. Neither judgment, nor disappointment nor pity nor… nothing at all. Iori felt the low voice rumbling in the other man's chest as he murmured.

"_It's okay. It's alright… just let it out."_

So, he did.

Tentatively at first, then freely. He wrapped his arms around the other man and clung to the back of his shirt. He heaved silently, spilling tears like water onto that comforting shoulder. _Other' _Kyo didn't seem to mind in the least. He held him closely and without reservation, rocking them back and forth whilst whispering encouragements into the crook of his neck.

Iori didn't know how long he sat there in the dark, weeping into a stranger's shirt, but _'Other' _Kyo remained there until he was spent and his tears ran dry. Exhaustion swept over him, then. The room seemed to dim and whatever energy he had left vanished. His eyelids were heavy; he closed them and allowed himself to relax into that warm embrace. To let himself fall into the deep well of forgetfulness, however short his stay might be.

As he drifted off, he was vaguely aware of being lifted up and borne through the hallways. By the time his head hit his pillow, he had already succumbed to a deep and dreamless sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_King of Fighters, Kyo Kusanagi, and Iori Yagami belong to SNK_

* * *

Kyo Kusanagi woke to an ache in his neck and a burning in his blood.

It was early; his groggy eyes could make out _'8:30'_ on the digital clock mounted above the half-dismantled TV. Sunlight streamed through the blinds in strips, painting warm, bright lines across the floor. The twitter of birds and the faint noises of traffic and bustle filtered in from the street. The hum of air conditioning emitted from the carpeted floors.

Kyo yawned and rolled onto his back to relieve the kink in his neck - the cushions were a bit too high. As he did, he found the couch to be much narrower than he was used to. Adrenaline smacked him in the head, and he emitted a brief shout as he tipped and fell the foot-and-a-half from the sofa onto the floor. He banged his elbow on the coffee table on the way down, adding to the already awful racket.

"Whoa… _urk!_"

He landed on his stomach and took a moment to orient himself before picking himself up and looking around. Upon waking, he had automatically assumed he was asleep on Iori's couch in SouthTown - but quickly realized this wasn't his rival's living room. There were books on the shelves - all in Japanese, the TV hadn't been taken yet - something he would have done ages ago - no...he wasn't in SouthTown…. He was in Osaka.

Last night's bizarre events quickly replayed themselves in his head as he got up and wandered to the doorway. He felt a bit sore - bellyflopping twenty feet into a river left him stinging and wishing he had some aloe.

_Phew… _

Well, even embroiled in such unfamiliarity, _(Iori Yagami had cried himself to sleep on his shoulder last night, what the absolute hell), _some things always stayed the same. His blood was hot as it coursed through his veins… and that meant Iori - _the asshole version _\- was likely making good on his promise and was coming to find him.

_Once a stalker, always a stalker… heh._

Recently, Iori's work proved too time consuming for him to constantly be following Kyo around. The stalking ended when Iori moved to SouthTown - and Kyo definitely didn't miss it. It was annoying, it pissed his friends off, and always ended in violent encounters - since back then, they were angry hormonal brats with too much aggression and too much time.

Nowadays, it was just sparring and taking turns punching each other in the stomach. Honestly, their current arrangement probably caused more physical damage than the hundreds of violent confrontations they've had in the back alleys of Japan, but Kyo preferred them immensely. Besides, when they were younger they primarily fought for sport, meaning they neither knew nor employed deadly techniques. For them to fight _all out_ today was a huge deal, and something both parties were looking to avoid.

The days of stalking were over. Iori Yagami hadn't come to find in him a _very_ long time… but he obviously still had the knack for it. Kyo felt the blade against his heart resonating and his blood growing heated. The bastard was probably on the doorste-

_*BANG BANG* _

"Kusanagi! Open the fuck up!"

_Yup._

Kyo yawned and stretched as he made his way to the front door. He had opted not to wear his shirt - as it was still damp from being cried into - but had the courtesy to wear pants in a stranger's house. He opened the door with a click and was blinded by the sunlight. Iori - _or who Kyo assumed was Iori -_ didn't wait to be welcomed nor acknowledged. He pushed past and threw his shoes at the coat rack.

"I got breakfast. Where's the clever guy?"

Kyo rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"The clever guy?"

"Yeah."

"You?"

"Yeah."

Kyo's vision came back into focus in time to see Iori locate and walk into the kitchen. He was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but had found another pair of sunglasses - these were too small, and screamed_ 'Hello Kitty'_. He was also carrying a grocery bag. Kyo knew what was inside before even asking. He called out as Iori turned into the kitchen.

"'_Nice' _you's sleeping. Try not to wake him up - he's had a pretty rough night."

Iori shouted from the kitchen. Kyo flinched, hoping the house owner wasn't getting too mad. Judging from the lack of noise in the bedroom, Kyo guessed he was still unconscious. Although Kyo didn't consider himself a particularly caring person, he did feel some concern for _'Nice'_ Iori's well being. Maybe because the other man looked identical to his best friend? Or perhaps because their duplicates were younger versions of him and his rival, and he felt somewhat responsible for seeing them through this rough patch.

_Ha… what's gotten into me. Hell if I'm a counselor - but better me than the lunatic… _

Kyo crept over and shut _'Nice'_ Iori's door tightly, just as _'The Lunatic'_ blasted from the kitchen.

"_I've_ had a pretty rough night. Was singing karaoke until someone tried to roofie this chick's drink. Beat him shitless, and got his dope. Gonna eat something then take it and pass out. Swear I haven't slept in like forty hours."

Kyo made a face and quickly walked over to the kitchen. He stepped in to find Iori washing his face in the sink. The red-haired man had dumped _'breakfast'_ on the table along with a couple of bento boxes and a case of beer.

"Don't overdose. Oy, you even know what that shit is? Is it that date rape stuff?"

Iori toweled off, then put his hair back with the bobby pins he'd gotten from the barista last night. He turned, leaned his back against the sink, and crossed his arms over his chest. Kyo perceived that behind Iori's bombastic facade, he was similarly tired. There were lines on his face that normally weren't there. He needed sleep, and at this point, it looked like he was ready to drug himself with whatever he got his hands on to get some shut-eye.

"Dunno, if I don't wake up just ship me to the hospital."

Kyo rolled his eyes, then took a seat at the counter and propped his chin up with his palm. He grabbed the plastic bag and with a pull, emptied it. He glanced over the contents and sighed.

"Did you just buy two pounds of frozen bacon?"

"Three pounds. Want yours cooked?"

"_Yes,_ I want mine cooked. Hell man, I think you're the only guy on the planet who eats this shit raw."

Iori shrugged and proceeded to tear open a package.

"Suit yourself. You're missing out."

"I sincerely doubt that."

Since a few years ago - beginning with the SouthTown Incident - Iori Yagami had started eating increasingly raw meat. Recently, he'd confessed his favorite food was frozen bacon strips. He'd eat them like potato chips, and frankly, Kyo - and everyone else for that matter - thought it was disgusting.

Iori didn't care. He had walked from the sink, and slumped into the chair. He propped his feet up on the table's edge and was crunching away quite contently. Two more packs of frozen bacon sat on the table. They seemed to be looking at Kyo, who scrunched his nose at them.

"Oy, Yag get off your ass and cook my breakfast. Don't just sit there."

"You're a big boy. Do it yourself."

"Don't be a bitch."

"Nah, I'mma bitch. Do it yourself."

Kyo rolled his eyes and then stood with a grunt. He walked over and dug around in the cupboards until he found a frying pan. Placing it on the counter, he lit it up, careful not to burn the table beneath. He peeled out a piece of meat and tossed it in, where it sizzled and began throwing oil. Kyo cracked open a beer and reached into the pan to flip his breakfast. He let his voice fall into seriousness.

"Yagami."

Iori stopped crunching. He gave that look that said he was listening.

"If I told you I never wanted to see you again, what would you do?"

Iori began crunching again. He furrowed his brow as he pondered.

"Dunno, really… probably move down to Argentina and spend time with Heidern. Just… do stuff for them, I guess. You know. Keep busy. Go a little crazy? Maybe do coke."

Kyo nodded. He knew that he was a sort of emotional crutch for his rival. Iori Yagami had a hell of a fucked up psychology - which more or less revolved around him. Without his support, Iori would turn to the only other thing that made him happy. He'd drown himself in blood, and that would likely drive him over the edge.

"Otherwise… well, I guess it'd just be Sweden again. Did I ever tell you how nuts I went?"

"Yeah. You're a piece of work, man. Hey, carve something for me - can you do Mickey Mouse?"

A wry chuckle. Iori waved his chunk of frozen pork at him.

"Want it outta this?"

Kyo smirked, shook his head and reached for his beer.

"You're an animal, man."

"Ha, tell me something I don't kno-_whoaFu-_"

It was then when a set of almost-silent footsteps made their way down the hall. Neither of them heard _'Nice'_ Iori's approach, so when he passed into their view, Iori flinched and nearly tipped his chair. Kyo turned to look at him and grimaced. The guy looked like absolute shit. There were bags beneath his eyes and despite his frame - he still managed to look frail. He wore a sullen expression and his eyes were dull. The _'wrongness'_ was so obvious that Iori seemed to sense the gravity of the situation and had decided not to ignore it.

He put his chunk of bacon down on the table with a clack and stood to walk over to his double, leading him by the shoulder to sit at the table. Iori had lost his devil-may-care attitude, and for once in his lifetime actually looked worried for someone. Kyo watched them silently, deciding it was best to remain quiet.

"Hey, come eat something. Want bento? You okay, buddy?"

'_Nice' _Iori simply nodded. Food was promptly pushed at him and a set of chopsticks was placed in his hand. The younger man seemed slow to react. He sat there with a faraway look in his eyes, unmoving.

Iori took a seat beside his doppleganger, and began working on his bacon again. He glanced briefly at his copy a couple of times, then turned to look at Kyo. His face said, _'What the fuck.' _

Kyo shut his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. He put his beer down with a clink. The noise seemed to draw _'Nice'_ Iori's attention.

"Yagami. Eat. You need it."

He paused, considered the command, then decided to comply. He moved like a zombie as he ate, mechanically snipping through the plastic wrapping and lifting food to his mouth. His face remained flat and emotionless. It looked like yesterday's events were still taking their toll on him.

Iori observed his double for a moment longer before shrugging and focusing back on his breakfast. He had likely come to the conclusion that if _'Nice' _Iori needed him, he'd make it evident. After all, although he typically behaved as if he couldn't read the atmosphere - he was actually quite good at it. He knew not to speak, and he also seemed to care enough about his double, so he kept silent.

The three of them stayed there, eating in that ringing silence. The quietness wasn't uncomfortable, but was filled with tension - as if they were waiting for the die to be cast, or a bomb to explode.

Kyo wasn't aware of how much time had passed before _'Nice' _Iori spoke, but the younger man had finished most of his bento and had placed his chopsticks down. His voice was surprisingly strong, but carried a dark undercurrent of grief. Kyo heard it clearly and apparently so did Iori. Kyo watched his rival's face twitch briefly into rabid rage, then fade out just as quickly.

"I need to talk to him."

It was obvious who _'he'_ was.

'_Nice' _Iori sighed audibly and stood, his chair screeching as it slid across the floor. He walked slowly and laboriously. As he passed Iori, the other man reached out and clapped his forearm reassuringly before slipping a carton of cigarettes into his palm. _'Nice' _Iori froze. He seemed to bite the inside of his cheek for a moment, then nodded curtly - still staring forward. There was flint in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the doorway. There was a bitter determination in his gait.

Kyo listened to the front door open and shut, then sighed and stood to his feet. As he reached for his wallet, Iori spoke up - his voice was low.

"Hell you going?"

Kyo pointed at the corridor with his chin.

"He doesn't need you."

Kyo pocketed his belongings and headed for the door, ignoring his rival. He felt Iori's eyes on his back as he stood in the doorway, ready to leave.

"I'll be back in a bit, Yagami. Take the couch. Get some sleep."

* * *

He was usually able to fall asleep easily. Just fall into it and not wake up until the morning sun hit through his window, brightening his room and starting the day. This wasn't even the first time he stayed at a capsule hotel. Usually, he'd have no trouble settling in for the night and being ready to start the next day afresh.

That didn't happen last night. He had hardly slept, and whatever sleep he did get was restless. It was nine-thirty in the morning, and Kyo Kusanagi was sitting on a cheap, sticky couch in the lobby of the capsule hotel. He was exhausted, and sat there listless and bleary-eyed. He massaging his neck. _'Taxi' _Iori had nearly strangled him to death in the car yesterday, and the bruises were still there, standing dark against his skin.

Kyo had been angry that night. After he'd gotten over the terror and shock of nearly dying, rage brewed deep in his chest - so hot it spilled from his eyes. What did _'Taxi' _know about him?! What gave him the right to squeeze him by the throat and scream in his face? He hadn't denied being a crazy serial murderer, so what the hell was he doing, trying to lecture _him _about what was right and wrong?!

_Damn asshole! _

But eventually, after he'd taken a shower and calmed down, he begrudgingly mulled over _'Taxi's _words in his head. _'Taxi'_ had called him 'ungrateful' and 'coward'. Then asked him about his honor regarding…

_Regarding… what exactly? _

He shook his head and sighed.

He'd nearly been strangled to death and was only spared because Iori...because Iori had asked _'Taxi'_ to let him go. Asked him twice, if he remembered correctly. He might've misheard, since he had almost lost consciousness by that point, but he thought he heard Iori begging on his behalf. Iori Yagami wasn't the kind to beg or plead for anything, not even for his own life. But he had begged, now Kyo was sure of it, he had begged that _'Taxi'_ spare Kyo's life.

_That bastard said he would have killed me ten times already… because I threatened to kill 'Other' me. I guess he was pretty precious to… _

Kyo frowned. _'Taxi'_ claimed to have killed a thousand people because of what had happened to _his_ Kyo. He had also mentioned dying for him, and that he was willing to do it again. Even through all his screaming, violent insanity, it was clear that he cared immensely for his rival's well being. That was how '_Taxi' _was… and '_Taxi' _was an Iori. And… Iori…

_Is that how he feels about me? That kind of thing?_

Suddenly, an image flashed into his mind. Kyo tried to shut it out.

Iori's expression when he turned on him, said what he did in fury and deliberate malice, intending to wound. How the hurt appeared in his face, the shock in his eyes, and how he fell back away from him, as though he'd struck him a mortal blow. How silent he became until Kyo found himself staring death in the face and then…

'_Ungrateful'_. _'Coward'_. _'Taxi's'_ words reverberated in his head, down to the enraged intonations. Did _'Taxi'_ understand Iori better than he did? Was that why he looked so murderous? Because even when Iori was immobilized by those burning orange flames, he had his eyes fixed on him. His concern wasn't on his own deadly situation. He'd been focused on Kyo the entire time.

He stirred, still restless, still uneasy sitting here.

_'Ungrateful?' _Ungrateful for what? He'd never asked for someone to play guardian angel. He was Kyo Kusanagi. He was the King of Fighters. He didn't need-

He raised his head in indignation, and the movement caused the sore tendons in his neck to scream in protest. He hissed and clapped his hand to the bruises circling his throat.

_Fuck… he was drunk, and he almost killed me. If he were sober, and he didn't want to talk, he could've sliced my head off, easy. Yagami… no joke, that bastard saved my life. _

Kyo groaned and buried his face in his hands. Iori Yagami had saved his life, even whilst risking his own. Even after those _hateful_, _biting_ words, he remained by his side.

And he'd pushed him away for the very quality that had preserved his life, kept him breathing to see another day. Iori loved him and demonstrated how - if he didn't love him, he wouldn't go so far as to risk laying down his life for him.

_Fuck!_

No wonder _'Taxi'_ said he was ungrateful. No wonder he called him petty and a coward. The appropriate response for what Iori did for him last night was to throw his arms around him and thank him.

Instead, he wounded him - intentionally and as grievously as possible. Then, he left him like that. He hadn't even thanked him for saving his life. He'd just up and left without looking back. Without saying anything. He paid back love with hate. He'd received goodness and returned evil. He had messed up, and badly.

Kyo groaned and let his fingers run down his face. He gritted his teeth and covered his mouth, terrified of the damage those venomous words might have caused. He'd been stupid. He'd been overwhelmed with an almost irrational anger, and it might have just lost him the best friend he'd ever have.

'_Taxi' _knew this, that's why he almost committed murder right there. To him, Kyo's cowardice disqualified him from the name _'Kusanagi'. _Because he'd shown himself to be an ingrate, _'Taxi'_ deemed him worthy of death.

_Iori_ wouldn't come after him. He was likely devastated after that... But '_Taxi' _just might. He'd been _so_ angry. Nobody had ever looked at him with such raw, unfiltered hate.

Was '_Taxi' _prowling the streets looking for him? Ready to gut him where he stood? This time Iori wouldn't be there to plead for him, this time-

He was startled as the sound of footsteps approached him.

Kyo lifted his head. Saw red hair and the tall lanky frame, and flinched to his feet. Shit! Was...was _'Taxi' _here...already? Scrambling off the couch, he fell into a defensive stance and prepared to bolt.

The figure saw his reaction and froze, then seemed to almost crumble on itself. It had stopped moving entirely, opting to stand there, completely still as foot traffic flowed around it.

That was what stopped Kyo from running. Instead, he peered at the man standing on the sidewalk outside the hotel's lobby. The figure had seen him, and stood there - as if waiting for permission to approach. _'Taxi' _wouldn't be reacting like that - would've gone for his throat immediately, which meant…. Which meant that wasn't Iori's duplicate at all.

It was Iori who stood there, his face frozen in anguish and...was that fear?

He _had_ hurt him badly. It was reflected in how Iori carried himself, in his expression, in his distance. He had let it be known that he preferred the other to stay at arm's length, but usually, Iori ignored him and stayed close anyway. But now...after last night, the other man was keeping himself away, as if afraid of getting close. Of being hurt again.

Kyo stood and walked to the automatic sliding doors. He stood in the doorway - keeping the mechanism open and causing the air conditioning to flood out. The lobby attendant was giving him increasingly dirty looks, but Kyo didn't notice. As he fixed his eyes on his rival, he felt bitterness and regret settle in his throat. Guilt was stabbing him in the gut. He felt tired. He wished yesterday had never happened.

But it had.

And he needed to deal with the consequences of his _stupid, dumbass _behavior.

So as Iori tentatively approached, Kyo remained there, standing in the doorway. Even when his rival came alongside him, he remained staring forward. He breathed deeply, wondering to himself how he should address Iori.

It seemed Iori had something similar in mind. Kyo stared out at the sidewalk as he listened - carefully mulling over each word his rival uttered.

"Kyo," Iori said, addressing him after the strained silence. He was fighting to keep his voice calm, but Kyo was conscious of a slight trembling. "Last night, you shut me down. I'm not...that's not happening again. We need to talk."

Kyo shut his eyes and exhaled. His voice came out quiet.

"There's a small business room in the back I can book for a few hours. We can talk there."

Iori nodded, still cautious and reserved. Holding back. Iori Yagami didn't usually hold back.

_I did this to him. I hurt him. I broke that trust._

They had gradually shifted from being just rivals to being more akin to friends. With one senseless action - words he couldn't take back - he divided them more thoroughly than anyone else could've done. As he turned around to head for the front desk, Iori followed behind him, footsteps subdued. Even after he got the room and both of them headed in that direction, the other man remained some distance behind, as if still wary. Still uncertain. Kyo turned back to glance at him and then had to look away.

What if the damage couldn't be undone? The pain was plain in Yagami's face.

Opening the door to the small business room, he watched as his rival entered after him, closed the door, and made for the chair behind the table. Sat down, removed a cigarette from the box he fished out from his jacket pocket, and lit it up. Took a deep pull from it and it was only then that his nerves seemed to settle. Kyo noticed the slight trembling in his fingers. Iori seemed to notice as well and as he took his seat across from him - the table separating them - the redhead steadied his hand.

Iori turned his head upwards and exhaled, letting the smoke out. When he spoke, his voice was rough. "Why? Why did you do that, Kyo?"

Because he was angry without thinking and there was no really good explanation to excuse what he did last night. "I...I wasn't thinking. I -"

"You cut me off mid-sentence, Kyo. Before that, you wouldn't look at me. You wouldn't talk to me. I didn't exist for you. You…" Iori stopped talking but Kyo heard the crack in his voice. There was a moment of silence. The cigarette burned in the other man's hand, the red-hot end like an accusatory eye. When Yagami resumed speaking, Kyo had to lean forward to hear him. "I don't mind if you hate me. I can take that. But I didn't exist for you and…"

And that was where the real source of the hurt lay, because of him.

"Yagami, I'm...I'm sorry."

The other man looked terrible. There were dark shadows under his eyes, he was pale, and it looked like he also didn't sleep well. Because of him. Because his words couldn't be forgotten just like that. Iori had a fairly good memory and the savagery he uttered last night was too new, too raw. His apology felt inadequate, even more so when Iori took another drag from his cigarette and didn't say anything. He watched as the other tapped his fingers on the table, more for something to do than out of nervousness.

The silence stretched. Now Kyo was getting nervous.

"I didn't do anything to you, Kyo. Yet, you…"

Another pause.

"Yagami, I just...it...I didn't realize…"

"You weren't supposed to." His rival leaned back in his chair, exhaustion accentuating his pallor. "It doesn't change anything, Kyo. It wasn't supposed to. But it did for you." The last part was said quietly. "Enough that I no longer mattered."

"Yagami, I -"

"All that stuff you said last night about being there...about stepping in...should I believe that now? Or am I on my own? Will you just step aside and watch me die?"

"Yagami, you know I -"

"Kyo, the moment you found out, you left me by myself. You despised me. I saw that." Iori looked at the ceiling, as if unable to look him in the face. "How am I to know it won't happen again?"

"I was...I was stupid."

"You ignored me, Kyo. For the rest of the night. You didn't want me there. You didn't want me as your rival. You know that. So if I'm to trust you again," the redhead looked back down at him, gaze serious, "you need to be honest with me. If you can't stand being around me anymore, just say so."

Yagami kept going back to the same point over and over, which only emphasized how deep the wound he dealt was. He _had_ treated Iori as if he wasn't there. Had even considered just leaving him behind and moving on with his own life without him. That would have included the tournaments as well and possibly even the moments when the Sacred Treasures had to meet up. Kyo hadn't thought that far but that would've cut Iori Yagami out of everything having to do with him. Last night, he was ready to do just that - sever the ties forever and not look back.

Iori had picked up on his intent. Picked up on it and the man was waiting for his response right now, cigarette in hand and eyes focused on him. There was trepidation in his gaze and Kyo saw him tense, as if prepared for yet another rejection.

He'd been stupid. Had hurt the one who stood by his side time and time again and for his own petty feelings. He wasn't even sure if Yagami considered his apology true. Iori was afraid and Kyo rarely saw him that way. This last was because of him.

"Yagami, I'm sorry. I don't know if that'll...if it can...but…"

"Just tell me, Kyo."

"You were there for me last night when I didn't deserve it. You...you won't be alone."

Across from him, the other man let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. The cigarette in his hand was forgotten and Iori curled up on himself in the chair. Kyo pushed his chair back but heard the other's muffled voice say, "Don't." So he remained where he was, watching as Iori fought to control himself.

"Yagami?"

"If you had said the other, I…" Grief behind Iori's voice, apparent and raw. "...it would've…"

"I didn't, though." He kept his volume low. "I didn't, Yagami."

"I know."

Time passed in the silence that ensued and as his rival eventually got himself under control, Kyo watched as Iori disposed of his cigarette in the room's wastebasket and stood. He looked a bit better but the emotional toll still lingered in his eyes and when Kyo arose from his seat and would've reached out to him, Iori sidestepped him. "I don't think...I don't think that'll be wise right now, Kyo." Said in the same quiet tone as before.

Kyo winced. Even if it seemed they were on the mend, there were fallouts from his actions. It was only last night - the hurt was still there and he saw that Iori needed time away to heal. Because of him. Because of what he did. Apologies helped but they didn't remove the sting from words spoken in rage and even someone like Iori - who brushed off everyone else - was capable of being wounded in ways other than physically.

Particularly if it came from him. He should've known better.

He watched as Iori left, a silent figure making its way across the hotel lobby and as he did, Kyo couldn't help but continue to feel the weight of his guilt.

* * *

Iori Yagami woke up screaming.

It was something that happened more often than he'd like to admit, but this time, the reason was unusual. Normally he woke his neighborhood when Riot decided to harass him early in the morning, or he had some sort of nightmare. Occasionally his sleeping pills failed to sufficiently shut down his brain, such that he saw faces he couldn't remember gnashing their teeth at him. However, tonight he was in luck. Whatever the scumbag at the Karaoke bar was drugging people with was top of the line. He had taken the pills, and within twenty minutes was blacked out like magic. Now, four hours later, he was rudely awakened by a _horrible_ pain in his chest and Kyo Kusanagi leaning over him wearing his famous shit-eating grin.

Iori gritted his teeth and slapped his snickering rival away as he scrambled to his feet - his flailing had caused him to fall off the couch. He clutched his left pectoral muscle and snarled.

"_What the fuck!_"

"Hey, can you re-install the TV?"

"_What the fuck was that!?"_

It really hurt. He yanked his shirt off and poked gingerly at his left nipple. It was definitely going to bruise. Kyo chortled and walked behind the couch to put a barrier between them. His eyebrows did their dance. He seemed incredibly proud of himself.

"Titty twister."

"Oh, fuck you."

Iori threw his shirt to the floor and vaulted over the sofa. When he landed, he was immediately tackled and wrestled to the floor. Kyo wrenched his arm painfully backwards and pinned him facedown with a knee to the small of his back. He continued flailing - if only to show his displeasure.

"Don't complain. It's because I love you. Hey, can you fix the TV? Also, _'cool you' _made some miso and it's gonna go cold."

Iori blinked then turned halfway. He let the snarl fall off his face.

"The _clever guy?_"

Kyo nodded, crawled off his back, then extended a hand. Iori rolled his eyes. If _'Nice' _Iori was up and about and _not_ hiding under his bed moping, things were probably alright. He had likely gone to find _'Other' _Kyo, received an apology, and was now trying to keep his mind off of yesterday's painful events.

"Yeah, the Clever guy. _'You'_ but actually normal. I can tell you like him a lot… hey, you know how I always tell you to go fuck yourself? _Well? Huh?_"

Kyo did the eyebrow dance again, then winced as he received a kick to the shin. He continued along that train of thought despite Iori's obvious displeasure with it. _Bastard._

"I mean he's in his bedroom right now, just hop in there with him and ask if- _Ow, hehe._"

The second kick succeeded in interrupting him.

"That's disgusting and you're a fucking degenerate."

"Tell me something new, Gammy."

"_Don't call me that!"_

Kyo snickered and danced out of range of his kicks. Iori sat up and rubbed the back of his head and sighed. It throbbed - he probably hit the coffee table on the way down from the couch.

"Awww, just admit it. You like him - otherwise you wouldn't have gotten that mad."

"Go away."

Even as he swatted at Kyo - who was now offering to pull him to his feet - he knew the other man's words rang true. _Well, not the 'fucking' part._

Iori didn't quite know what had come over him when _'Other' _Kyo uttered those toxic words. He'd grown so angry that he really might have strangled him to death that very night. Normally, he couldn't care less whose feelings he hurt - much less if someone hurt someone else's feelings. Of course, when it came to slander and threats toward the few people he cared about, things were different… but two sentences of snarling nonsense had never stirred him to murder before.

_You're getting mushy, Yagami… heh._

He chuckled as he grasped the hand offered him. He pondered as Kyo hauled him upright. _'Nice'_ Iori was very different from himself. He was calm, reserved, sharp as all hell, and _much more sentimental _than he was_. _Upon first laying eyes on him, Iori would have been quite happy to ignore him entirely. When the _'Clever guy'_ had threatened to slit his throat, Iori was prepared to gut him where he stood. After an hour of drinking, Iori decided he rather liked _'Nice' _Iori. Half an hour after that, he was prepared to kill _'Other' _Kyo for hurting his duplicate's feelings.

_Hell of a wild ride. _

By now, he had decided _'Nice'_ Iori was going to be his younger brother - whether he liked it or not. It looked like Kyo had already decided to play _'Mommy'_, so as long as Iori was here he'd hop on that bandwagon. He'd never had a little brother, and all his nephews were little shits - so he was quite eager to see how things played out.

He pushed Kyo away and went to go look for his shirt. He grimaced as he pulled it on, the fabric brushing roughly against his rapidly forming bruise. He spoke from within his giant V-neck, voice slightly muffled.

"Anyways, this morning. You end up stalking him to the hotel? Or did you crash my car on the way there?"

Kyo leaned against the wall. His mocking tone was gone. He looked strangely melancholy.

"I walked."

Iori smoothed his shirt.

"You would, huh. Hell if he didn't notice you. He probably thought it was cringy as fuck, too. If you've got such a drive to play nanny, just have a kid."

The melancholy didn't lift. Iori grimaced. He felt the atmosphere change. Kyo was looking at the floor, worry painting his face. He had crossed his arms tightly over his chest. There was a long moment of silence.

… _I hope he doesn't do that to me, the shithead..._

Iori squared up to look Kyo dead in the eye. He kept his voice low and serious, but there was some anger there. Kyo seemed to catch it, and he met his gaze evenly, listening.

"You know me, Kusanagi. The last thing I want is pity. Same for him. Don't insult us like that. We can deal with our shit. If he needs help, he'll ask for it. Don't go following him around like he can't wipe his own ass."

A curt nod. He didn't look convinced. Iori continued.

"So just treat him like normal. Nothing you say or do is gonna help him, so forget about it. I guarantee you that he doesn't want people to know about this - so do him a favour and forget it. Act like you never saw it. He's a damn tough kid. He can handle it and hell if he needs us to follow him around looking sad. Got it?"

Kyo sighed and offered a more convincing nod.

"Good, now find me a screwdriver."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_King of Fighters, Kyo Kusanagi, and Iori Yagami belong to SNK_

* * *

Even after Kyo apologized to him, Iori couldn't help but hear those hurtful words ringing in his head. He had tried to forget - he really did. After all, there was nothing more Kyo could have said that day in his attempt to undo the damage from that outburst.

He'd been sincere. He was truly regretful. And Iori Yagami really wanted to forgive him...but he couldn't. Not yet. He needed time. He needed to take his mind off and find some distraction.

Well...he didn't need to look far.

The distractions found him.

With the two '_Lunatics'_ banging around his apartment, he could hardly hear himself think, much less mope about the bitterness in his heart. It was day… _three? Four_ _now? _And strange things just didn't stop happening. Iori felt as if half the thoughts that ran through his head were creative renditions of, _'Huh? What?!'_

His TV has been uninstalled and reinstalled at least four times. There were dozens of holes drilled into his living room wall and Iori was seriously considering throwing away his television all together.

'_Other' _Kyo spent every minute he _wasn't_ harassing his rival, or wandering around buying food - watching Korean dramas. He'd been watching _'My Love from another Star'_ continuously for the past two days. He had asked Iori to watch with him at certain points, but the plot was too confusing. He would sit there on the couch trying to distinguish one character from the other, while _'Other' _Kyo sobbed disgustingly next to him.

_More sappy than I'd imagine him to be… _

'_Taxi' _wasn't much better. He didn't like to stay cooped up in the house and after his initial night, he had only come to the apartment once. That time, he smelled terribly of smoke, pulled all the stuffing out of the couch, put it all back in, and then slept on it for fifteen straight hours. Normally, Iori would be quite happy to have him out and about, not bothering him, but the fact that _'Taxi' _wore his face and seemed to have zero sense of shame was bound to cause some repercussions.

Honestly, Iori thought he'd find himself in the news for shouting at children or something equally asinine...but he seriously didn't expect _'Taxi' _to get him in trouble with the local mafia. His mailbox, aside from his normal mail, was filled with miscellaneous threats. Someone had even sent him a bloody coffin. He had scornfully burnt it to dust.

He wasn't nervous about it. He could handle an assassin easily - and besides, _'Other' _Kyo was here. He _did_ spend most of his time attached to the television screen, but Iori had seen his fighting prowess firsthand. If the entire Japanese mafia decided to come after them, there was no doubt in his mind that the two of them could handle it without a problem.

He was more concerned about what his duplicate was doing. The Yakuza knew his name and generally steered clear of him. After all, the Yagami clan had a history and he was a fearsome fighter in the highly-televised KOF tournaments. The only explanation for the packages and numerous death threats was that _'Taxi' _was doing something so crazy, that even the Yakuza was risking themselves trying to scare him into stopping.

_Is he playing vigilante or something?_

'_Taxi'_ had been gone for about three days straight. He relayed no information to either him or _'Other' _Kyo. He might as well have dropped off the face of the earth. Iori had asked his unwanted roommate if they should be worried. He got a nonchalant _'Let the crazy take care of itself. He's the last person you need to worry about.' _before the new episode started and _'Other' _Kyo was gone from the world for another forty-five minutes.

In any event, Iori wasn't satisfied with allowing his visage to run amok - potentially ruining his reputation - without at least trying to keep tabs on him. The next time his _'crazy big brother' _came home, Iori was going to sit him down and have a long talk.

The opportunity came sooner than he expected.

It was three in the morning when Iori was awakened by the thudding of footfalls and the sound of his front door being slammed shut. His noise tolerance had been getting better - after all, _'Other' _Kyo was pretty loud. But whatever volume he was used to was nothing compared to the racket _'Taxi' _was causing in the main hallway.

Iori sighed and gingerly climbed out of bed. Today, he was going to find out what nonsense _'Taxi' _ had gotten himself into and demand that he stop. Iori just wanted to live a peaceful life. Having Orochi jabbering in his head was quite enough - he didn't need external chaos compounding that. Evidently, his duplicate had other ideas concerning how to lead his life and seemed to be seeking trouble actively.

_Better not be a hitman or something like that… _

Iori grimaced as he struggled into a pair of sweatpants. He typically slept in boxers, but wasn't comfortable with his duplicate - and _especially Kyo's duplicate _\- seeing him almost naked. Iori had been fearful of how _'Other' _Kyo would treat him after the drama from night one. He tended to keep his emotions under tight rein, and guarded them jealously from the prying eyes of strangers. Even after the fact, he couldn't imagine himself clinging to a man he'd only just met and sobbing into his chest like a child. The image repulsed him, and he'd grown shameful of it.

But _'Other' _Kyo behaved as if it had never happened. There was no pity, not even sympathy. He didn't talk about it. He didn't look concerned. He had walked Iori back from the capsule hotel - but otherwise gave no indication he was privy to one of Iori's weakest moments. Recently, _'Other' _Kyo had been crying his eyes out watching TV, and Iori couldn't help but feel his own cry session wasn't such a big deal after all if the other man was like that. Perhaps _'Other' _Kyo was doing it intentionally to make him feel better - perhaps not. But regardless, Iori appreciated the _very offhand_ care he _may or may not be_ receiving.

There was a sharp knocking at his bedroom door, snapping Iori out of his thoughts. Everything was silent for a moment. Iori had frozen, then blinked and rapidly yanked up his pants. Before he could call out an answer, there was another brief knock and _'Taxi' _let himself in.

"Hey, mini-me. I need your mattress."

'_Taxi' _had come dragging in a huge suitcase behind him. He was wearing a three piece suit that smelled very distinctively like charcoal and burnt meat. He looked absolutely exhausted, as if he hadn't slept since the last time he came to the apartment. Iori took a moment to observe him, before speaking up.

"Yagami, we need to talk." It was strange addressing the other like that.

'_Taxi' _grunted a response as he walked over to Iori's bed and began stripping the sheets off. With a yank, he pulled the mattress over the bed frame - sliced a long slit diagonally over the surface - and began pulling out the stuffings and bed springs. Iori watched his double massacre the bed like he couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing.

Iori didn't usually stutter, but this was an appropriate time as any to trip over his words.

"What?! Wha- Hey! Stop! I was sleeping on that! What are you doing? Look, can we talk?!"

'_Taxi' _had finished pulling all the stuffing out and was clearing the last few bed springs from the corners of the mattress. Despite looking absolutely wrung out, he behaved as if he were full of energy. He replied with his head stuck halfway in the mattress box, sounding slightly annoyed.

"This is about rent, right? Alright fine. I gotchu."

'_Taxi' _whirled around to crouch beside the suitcase he had dragged in. Iori stepped back and watched him warily. He wasn't sure what he expected - but somehow he knew _'Taxi' _wasn't here to make his life easier. Thanks to his double, the Yakuza had their eyes on him - and likely the police as well. Iori groaned internally.

"I'll even pay for the asshat bumming on your couch."

"Wait..._what?_"

With a snap, the clasp came loose and the bag's contents spilled over the floor. _'Taxi' _plucked up what could only be described as a _brick of American cash _and handed it to him. Then, he heaved the suitcase into the bedframe and began pouring the rest of the money into the now hollow mattress.

"That should cover it, if you need more - the living room sofa is also full. Hey, do you have a sewing kit? Oh, hang on. I think I have a staple gun..."

Iori stood there, blinking and holding what was likely… five thousand American dollars in his hand. He did some quick math, peeked over his double's shoulder at the amount of money being stuffed into his mattress and decided there was _absolutely, definitely, without-a-doubt _something suspicious going on. _'Taxi' _had only existed in this world for about four days; there was no legitimate way he could have accumulated this amount of currency in such a short time.

"What the hell...where did you get this? Did you rob a bank? Hey!"

'_Taxi' _wasn't listening. He had finished with the money and was now haphazardly throwing the cotton and bed springs back into the mattress. He was halfway done stapling the now-lumpy cushion back into its original shape when Iori went and shook him by the shoulder. He turned to look.

"How are you getting this?"

He thrust the money towards _'Taxi', _who shrugged.

"It's just Yakuza stuff. Profits from arms trafficking. Oh, I forgot to tell you. You're...eighth in command now? Something like that. I'll teach you the operation later."

Iori stared as the man finished stapling the fabric together - likely waking all his neighbors in the process - and began fitting the bedsheets back in place. He seemed way too nonchalant. The whole experience felt surreal.

"What do you mean I'm eighth in command? What did you do?" Iori narrowed his eyes and put the brick of money down on his bedside table. He let his voice fall into threatening levels. "If I find Yakuza punks at my door..."

'_Taxi' _finished making the bed and snorted. He turned and clapped Iori on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about them. They work for you. You can send them on errands if you want. Just tell them not to bother you if you feel annoyed. Also, if that asshole Kobeyashi shows up and tries to hit on you, set him on fire. I'm not even joking."

"_What?!_"

"Just kill him. I get enough of that shit from Kusanagi - I don't need anymore of it. I'm gonna go shower. Night."

"_Hey, explain yourself!"_

His bedroom door was shut abruptly in his face and he heard his double's footfalls turn to the bathroom. The pipes hummed as the water began running. The house was once again quiet, as if nothing had happened.

However, within the past twenty minutes, a huge amount of things had happened. Iori was suddenly and dramatically made aware of exactly what his spitting image was up to - and he didn't like it one bit.

One part of him wanted to believe his double was drunk again and hadn't actually spent the past few days climbing rank in the mafia, but he had just stuffed upwards of a hundred thousand U.S. dollars into his mattress, so…

Iori groaned and sat down on his bed. He felt the sharp edge of paper poking him through the sheets. He looked at his ceiling and offered a complaint to whatever gods were listening.

_What the hell did I do to deserve this..._

* * *

"Alright, so this guy," _'Taxi' _showed him a photo of a bald man with tattoos running up and down his arms. "Is the boss. He's guilty of hella tax evasion and about eighteen counts of murder. Also he's terrified of me...us. If you meet him, just flip him off and he'll leave you alone."

Iori stared tiredly at the man who sat across from him in his kitchen. He hadn't slept well last night due to the money poking at his back, and the repercussions of having just joined the illegal arms trade stirring in his brain. Arms trafficking was serious business and although he was no expert, he knew the penalty amounted to at least several years in jail.

'_Taxi' _was jabbering away about Yakuza business secrets as if he did this sort of thing all day. He talked about people being killed and tortured using the same tone of voice as when asking for the time. It was easy to forget _'Taxi' _and _'Other' _Kyo weren't normal people when they were messing around with his television and sobbing their eyes out watching soap operas. It was times like this when they showed their true colors.

_'Taxi'_ waved another photo at him.

"This guy is the launderer - if you need to contact him, call this number and use the code phrase _'La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo'_. The actual guy is an account executive based out of Hong Kong. He also does business with the Triads, reliable guy. Oh, this dude is-"

Iori took a long draught of coffee and shut his eyes. He held up a hand, silently requesting _'Taxi' _to stop flooding him with unwanted information. He figured that if _'Taxi'_ was now the eighth most powerful man in Osaka's underworld - he had done an abundance of unsavory things in a short amount of time to get to where he was now. Besides, the money in his mattress was from arms trafficking. Who knew where the money in his couch cushions came from?

"- is that fucking faggot Kobeyashi. I told him to never even breathe in my direction again or I'd chop the fingers off his entire family and make him eat them. If he comes knocking, kill him. That's not a joke, the man has been feeling me up since the moment I've been stuck with him. He's already got me to where I need to be, so we can off him anytime. Here's his photo -"

'_Taxi'_ slid a photograph across the table. The subject of the image was an exceedingly flamboyant man wearing nothing but a thong and a feather boa. Iori took one look and slid it back with more violence than he intended, almost shoving the photo off the table. He sighed and stood, pushing his chair back. _'Taxi' _fell silent and gave him an inquisitive look.

"Don't need all this...know it works for you back home but for me…"

'_Taxi' _laughed.

"Hey kiddo, I'm not asking you to run it. In the event I go _'poof..._" He made a poofing hand gesture, "this is so you know what's been going down. With these connections and your big brain, you can climb straight to the top. It'll be fun. I promise."

'_Taxi' _nodded sagely, and dug in his folder for a list of names and phone numbers. He didn't seem to hear, or otherwise didn't care that Iori didn't want this sort of life. Iori gritted his teeth; he leaned over to plant his palms against the table.

"All that money's useless," he said, feeling the telltale throb behind his eyes of an incipient headache. "If I even try to convert it, I'd get the authorities on me."

'_Taxi' _wasn't catching the point. He put on a wry grin and tapped his temple.

"We've got accounts in Japanese _yen_. Don't you worry yourself - there's plenty of green to go around. It's a hella tight system - most of our transactions are electronic. The money you're sleeping on was just received from overseas trade."

Now Iori stared hard at him. "What?" _Just what the hell did he involve me in? Is Interpol gonna be on my ass next? How the fuck do I get out of this?_

"Iraq isn't paying for their arms in _yen_, you know, and they don't own a dirty bank to wire stuff to us under the table. That's why you've got pallets of cash in your mattress. Everyone uses dollars for international business. The stuffing in your couch is coke money from Colombia. Our dude from Hong Kong is gonna grab it soon and wash it for us."

Iori shut his eyes. He was getting the impression that his double hadn't gotten himself involved in some petty crime ring. This was something much more massive. Something much more dangerous, more incriminating. Something that might just make it impossible for him to live a good clean life.

Iori asked for clarification, even though he knew the answer.

"Coke...you mean drugs?"

"Yup, the good stuff."

'_Taxi' _sounded almost happy about it. Iori was getting the impression his duplicate hadn't lived under the law in a long while.

Iori sat back down and began digesting the information.

So on top of the arms smuggling which was already several years in prison if he got busted, now he was looking at drug smuggling or being involved in the international drug cartel, which meant..._shit_. That was several more years behind bars, fines to boot, and his whole career as a bassist was toast. If someone got suspicious and called the police…. The headache built power behind his eyes; he pinched the bridge of his nose and forced himself to breathe deeply. He needed to get out of this mess, and quickly.

'_Taxi' _looked like he was about to start rambling business again, when there was a thud from the living room. He frowned and changed topics as if his involvement with a criminal empire was just as insignificant as _'Other' _Kyo's soap operas.

"What the hell has Kusanagi been crying about? He was sobbing into the pillows when I kicked him off the couch last night. The hell was that? You weren't bullying him, were you?"

'_Taxi'_ smirked, packed up all the incriminating evidence into a manila folder, and handed it to him. Iori received it and breathed through his nose. He was doing his best to keep his emotions under control - if only to avoid another headache.

_Breathe deeply. Stay calm. Fuck… I'm in deep shit, aren't I?_

He'd been in deep shit for...perhaps four days already, but he just didn't know it until now. This entire week was surreal to him. He'd had been so disgusted with his duplicate's actions, but now he suddenly found himself a criminal. He didn't want that...had never wanted a life of crime, but it looked like _'Taxi' _didn't give a flying fuck about what he wanted. It wasn't any use complaining to the guy already so invested in the criminal underworld. He needed to fix this himself.

But for now, he'd keep his intentions secret. _'Taxi' _behaved as if he couldn't read people, but Iori suspected he was actually quite good at it. He either pretended to be unable to, or cared too little to behave in a manner which adhered to other people's wants and needs. Regardless, Iori knew his duplicate was no slouch. He appeared to be insane, and sometimes childlike - but the fact he had climbed to the top of a criminal organization in the matter of days spoke volumes about his skills and experience. Perhaps he had risen via brute strength? Or perhaps a hidden wit? Either way, he wasn't someone Iori was going to underestimate.

So he controlled his voice, forced a smirk, and let his worries sink to the back of his mind. He answered the question… _What was the question? Oh, what was 'Other' Kyo crying about..._

"K-drama." Like hell he understood it, or even comprehended the characters, who all looked alike, men and women both. He didn't see what was so great about it that _'Other'_ Kyo hogged all the time in front of the TV. "Some soap opera from our neighbors to the north."

"Sappy bitch."

'_Taxi' _took a drag from his cigarette and walked over to the fridge to fetch an egg. He cracked it open on a plate and fried it with a glance, only to immediately shove it into his mouth. His body language was easy - It didn't look like he was suspicious of anything. Not yet at least. Iori was intent on keeping it that way, which meant his reaction to what he just saw needed to be muted.

Iori observed his double - stony faced. _'Taxi' _didn't even need to move to light a fire. He didn't need ignition, no special moves... nothing. Iori wasn't capable of doing that. If he wanted to light, he needed to make a physical connection and channel flames through his hands. He had never thought of it as restricting - _hell, he was wielding 'fire' after all -_ but a line of sight execution?

The ramifications of that kind of power were…

He fought the urge to chew the inside of his cheek.

Even Eight Wine Cups started from his hands. If his double could fry something just by looking at it without having to summon fire…. He suppressed the sudden chill that almost crawled up his spine. He could've easily died the first night he encountered _'Taxi'_. All the other man needed to do was look at him and he'd either be critically injured or dead. For all his skill, for all his fighting ability, for all _his_ experience - he was nothing compared to his double. Underestimating his duplicate would be a fatal mistake.

"It's boring." Just make casual conversation about the soap operas _'Other'_ Kyo saw. Yeah, he didn't understand anything about the television series but the plot was girl meets guy, some squabbling, some love triangles - all between people who looked the same (all the same glossy pretty faces) - and the whole show confused the fuck out of him. He couldn't see _his_ Kyo getting into…

He shut that thought down immediately before it could hurt.

"Figures. Always knew he was a bitch… _hm?_" _'Taxi' _pulled his phone out of his pocket, glanced at it, then stood.

"Right, Clever guy. I've gotta run. Boss man wants me. If Kobeyashi shows up, kill him for me, got it?"

Iori didn't answer, and _'Taxi' _took his silence for an affirmative. The other man grinned and slapped him on the shoulder as he brushed past. In a moment, he clopped around the doorway, slammed the door, and was gone.

Iori watched his double leave. Blinked and immediately went to get an aspirin. His head was pounding. He wanted to go back to sleep - but not on a mattress full of arms traffic revenue streams. He slumped heavily into his chair and stared deeply into the whorls in the wooden tabletop. His mind was blank, except for a single phrase.

_The fuck is going on?_

* * *

'_Other' _Kyo was sitting in his living room watching the next episode of that Korean drama again, so Iori pulled a book from his shelf and sat at the other end of the couch, trying to focus on the adventures of this dashing rogue and all the chaos swirling around him from his higher-ups, the people out to kill him, and the sudden presence of damsels in distress. He snorted and decided to pop another aspirin within the next few hours, since he still felt throbbing behind his eyes. On the other end, Kusanagi was sobbing and it was difficult for him to concentrate on the characters printed on the matte white pages.

He put the book down on the couch and pinched the bridge of his nose again. Inhaled and exhaled and that was when he heard a faint knock at his door across from the living room.

Huh? Who would be here at this time? _'Taxi'_ wouldn't be back for a while.

Tucking one hand in his jeans pocket, he strode over to the door and checked quickly through the peephole. _Huh? Who's that?_ It wasn't someone Iori recognized and he narrowed his eyes. Hollering through the door wouldn't do any good, so Iori unlatched the door and opened it.

It was a choice he immediately came to regret.

Kobeyashi - it _had_ to be Kobeyashi, even if he wasn't dressed so flamboyantly - did what Iori could only describe as an extremely hands-on tackle. The other man was about his height, dressed in the gaudiest suit and sporting hair bleached so blond that it was almost white. The other man's assertive action was so blatant that Iori felt touches where he shouldn't. Shoving the other man away, he went for the door but Kobeyashi's foot was in the way, blocking him from closing it. If he wanted to, the guy would lose his foot right now - bloodstains be damned - but doing that would call the entire Yakuza organization to his front door.

They would pay him a personal visit if one of their own was hurt, even if he supposedly ranked eighth. He wasn't sure how the hierarchy worked and if Kobeyashi had superiors higher than him…. Sure he and _'Other' _Kyo could probably scare them off, but that took significant effort and was bound to cause trouble. The neighbors would call the police, his place would probably get turned upside-down and once they found the money and other evidence _'Taxi' _gave him...

Fuck.

"Come on, Yagami-san...no need to play hard to get."

_Fuck me._ Not only was he being addressed as an equal by the other man - he mightn't use honorifics, yet he knew their nuances - but Kobeyashi was also pushy. _'Taxi' _had mentioned the guy feeling him up. He'd been felt up...by a complete fucking stranger. It made him angry.

He gritted his teeth. Made his voice cold. "Get the fuck out if you don't want to die."

"Oh," Kobeyashi said, as carefree as before. "You always say that, Yagami-san. Let me in, will you? Don't be so cruel." Even as the other man said that, Iori felt him applying pressure to the door from his end. His foot was still wedging the door open, and he was using it as leverage, to slip through. Iori immediately turned to face him, door to his back. He'd been groped a few days before - a complete accident - but he wasn't about to give someone an advantage to deliberately do that to him.

The TV with its corny drama continued playing in the background but he focused solely on the man before him now. And because he was on alert, he saw him move.

He shifted to the side, presenting his back to the living room behind him. Considering how the other man moved, if he got backed into any corner, Kobeyashi would go roaming and Iori wasn't going to allow that. Now he saw why _'Taxi'_ wanted this man dead.

"Is that a new shirt, Yagami-san? It looks good on you."

Ugh. What was with this guy? Glaring at him wasn't doing anything. It only seemed to...encourage him? _Even though he liked Kyo, he'd nev_\- He clamped down the second thought that followed - he simply wasn't that blatant. He didn't even want Kyo to know. But this guy..._this guy..._

"I prefer the suit, but I can't say I don't like this," Kobeyashi made a disgusting purring noise and took another step forward. "You'd look gorgeous in anything, Yagami-san. Aah! Come now, don't run."

Like hell he was going to let a fucking stranger touch him in his own home. "_Get out_," he gritted through his teeth. Even as the words left his mouth, he realized it didn't deter the other man - not at all. This guy wasn't afraid of him at all. Of course he wouldn't be - he'd done the same to _'Taxi'_, and _'Taxi'_ was a hell of a lot scarier than Iori was. If this man had enough guts to continuously grope a serial murderer sociopath, then he wasn't going to be stopped with words. If Iori wanted to keep himself _'hands-free'_ tonight, he needed to keep clear of this handsy man. He couldn't fight, for that would guarantee either the police or the Yakuza being called to his doorstep, but he couldn't run forever either.

Continuing this cat-and-mouse game with Kobeyashi just wasn't an option. The man simply wasn't backing down. In fact, Iori perceived there was something perverse lit in the other's eyes. The _'chase' - _Iori grimaced as the word passed through his mind, was exciting for him. The last bits of his subtlety was gone and he approached with a grinning, leery-eyed determination.

Iori shifted, dropping low into a stance which allowed him better mobility. With how his week was going, the last thing he needed - the last thing he _wanted_ \- was to be molested in his own apartment by a fucking Yakuza associate who he only knew because of _'Taxi'_.

_Why the hell does this keep happening to me?_

"Hah, of course you'd like it rough. Suits me. I can play that game."

Iori snarled.

Kobeyashi advanced.

He cleared the entranceway, throwing his foot back onto the raised floor, giving himself an immediate higher-ground advantage. At least this way, he wouldn't stumble over it or end up with his heel against it, which would throw it in Kobeyashi's favor. Anything to keep the bastard away from him - from his leering grin and eager hands.

The most absurd thought passed through his mind in a split second. _Now I know how Kusanagi feels._

Iori blinked, moved. Fast. Kobeyashi mightn't be a fighter but he was Yakuza and the other man sprang after him, lithe and just as swiftly. _Shit._ With both feet on the raised elevation leading to the main interior of his apartment, Iori back-kicked to gain a considerable distance. Unknowingly, he'd fallen into stance, as if that would protect him from this slimy bastard, who was slowly advancing on him.

"Why run, Yagami-san? You're just delaying the inevitable."

_Inevitable my ass. _Something about the other man's nonchalance - how he continued strolling towards him, completely unfazed - unnerved Iori. Nobody dared threaten him. In fact, the mere threat of violence set people on edge. If he had fallen into this stance before anyone else, they'd be scurrying away. Not coming towards him.

Was this guy a complete moron or was he crazy? Both?

"For some of us, this is prelude to foreplay. I'm sure you know that."

Well, shit. That wasn't subtle _at all_. Iori made another low growl in the back of his throat. Kobeyashi simply smiled - how was the damn bastard still smiling? - and lunged at him, faster than Iori thought possible. _Fuck!_ Iori flung himself to the side, almost pinning himself against the wall. Kobeyashi's hand nearly brushed his sleeve and he was forced to propel himself backwards, back arching and feet spread to keep his balance. With how predatory this guy was, if he lost his balance, a lot of unpleasantness would follow. At that point, he'd have no choice but to resort to lethal means and he wanted to prevent that.

"Ah. Flexible as well. You really are pretty, Yagami-san. A lot of hidden talents."

He'd had enough of this._ "Fuck you." _

Kobeyashi grinned, showing teeth. "Read my mind. You'd look so nice out of that shirt."

It took everything Iori had to not go red from hearing that - whether from embarrassment or rage, he wasn't sure. "Damn you. Get the fuck out!"

"Oh, don't be that way. You'll get used to me."

Like hell he would..._oh shit!_ Kobeyashi had crossed the gap between them in one swift stride and Iori, knowing the layout of his own place, realized he was cornered. If he retreated further, he would be pinning his back to a wall. Thus, he had only two options - right or left, but left led straight into a dead-end, and right took him right him back to the entranceway. Both choices left him cornered by Kobeyashi, and when Kobeyashi managed to corner him…

_Goddammit._

Kobeyashi leered and moved in, arms already outstretched to trap him against the wall like in those goddamn stupid romance movies.

He didn't have much choice. Iori swung his full momentum left, away from those grabby arms and those groping hands. But now his way out was cut off. The Yakuza bastard in front of him grinned again - a full mouthful of teeth Iori wanted to punch down his throat - and took a step forward.

"Ah. So it was meant to be. Come on, Yagami-san. Amuse me."

Iori narrowed his eyes.

_Hell no, and fuck you._

He was backed against the wall - there was a structural obstacle between him and the living room - and he was completely out of options, except one. It was a violent and potentially lethal option, which ran the very high risk of blowing his life apart. He was breathing hard, but not from physical exertion. His vision was tunneling and he was beginning to feel lightheaded. Adrenaline was flying through his veins as he braced himself, already preparing to strike. He had to admit to himself, that in this moment, he was _scared. _

Because if he did this...there was no going back.

Then, just as Kobeyashi prepared to pounce, there was a thud. Iori had involuntarily squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, he found himself looking at the back of Kyo Kusanagi's T-shirt.

_Oh… thank the gods._

Unbeknownst to him, Kyo had pulled himself out of K-drama stupor to come to his rescue. He must have seen them from the living room, and had bolted out to slam his palm against the hallway wall between them, completely blocking off Kobeyashi's path. Iori couldn't see Kyo's face, but his tone of voice was so mocking and dripping with scorn, that even Kobeyashi flinched to a stop.

"What's an ugly little piece of shit like you doing here? You know, you're breathing the same air as my girlfriend, and I'm just not gonna let that slide."

Iori couldn't see from behind _'Other' _Kyo's shoulder, but he could tell the interruption was throwing the flamboyant man off. Granted, he didn't know what was going on either - Yuki Kushinada wasn't here. Why would she be?

Kobeyashi's voice was wavering between confusion and aggression.

"You, who the hell are you? Don't you know who I am? Also I don't see anyone's girlfriend he-"

Iori emitted a surprised noise as _'Other' _Kyo turned and grabbed him around the waist. He was pulled him into a tight half-embrace. The momentum nearly caused him to head-butt _'Other'_ Kyo in the teeth. He heard _'Act!' _whispered sharply in his ear, then once again, Kyo was grinning and mocking.

_I'm the girlfriend?! _

He _was _the girlfriend. Kyo was planning to fight Kobeyashi's inappropriate advances with blatantly aggressive homosexuality, and it looked like Iori was going to be a part of it whether he liked it or not. _"Well, at least this is better than killing a man and being thrown in jail forever"_ \- was what he told himself afterwards, but in the spur of the moment, it was possibly worse than whatever Kobeyashi was planning to do with him.

'Other' Kyo resumed talking; his voice was possessive and growled from the back of his throat. It made the hairs on Iori's arms stand on end. He winced as Kyo laughed.

"The pretty one's mine, and you know who I am. I'm sure you've heard my name from _'Gammy' _before_. Hey_, did you know he'll do anything for me? _Anything. _This morning I teased him until he was screaming my name."

Iori knew _'Anything' _mostly referred to _'Killing lots of people', _and _'teasing' _meant _'painfully being wrestled to the ground, whilst screeching death threats', _but Kyo made it sound so ridiculously dirty that Iori almost blushed. Obviously it was good for optics, because Kobeyashi saw his reaction and began looking downcast.

_Ah, shit… _

He emitted a grunt as he was yanked closer. He was slightly taller than _'Other'_ Kyo, and was sort of getting folded against him. The grip around his waist was unbreakable. He couldn't pull away no matter how much he wanted to. Kyo cast him a look that said _'wait' _and then immediately thesmirk and and scornful mockery was back. He just kept going, prolonging the already very uncomfortable experience.

"There's a reason he doesn't wanna hang with you… I bet he hates when you touch him, huh? Why would he tolerate your greasy fingers all over him? The lucky bastard comes home every night to - _me._"

'_Other' _Kyo laughed. Iori tried not to turn and glare at him. He was also trying not to go red. He swore he felt a drop of sweat trail down the back of his neck. His breath was getting shorter. He needed a cigarette... _now_.

Kobeyashi, for the first time that evening, took a retreating step. He looked upset, heartbroken even, and glared at Iori with tears in his eyes. Iori would have huffed at him, at how ridiculous he looked, if not for his..._current situation._

Iori wasn't doing well squashed up against _'Other' _Kyo. Not only was he uncomfortably close - bringing to mind some things he preferred to suppress right now - but Kyo's own body language was suitably aggressive in the way that Kobeyashi would understand. Which meant Iori also understood it. Which meant…

_Shit._

Before he could control it, he flushed red - his body involuntarily betraying him again this week - and he hoped to any deity out there that nothing else was happening. The last time that happened - the last time he went red like this - his Kyo had figured it out and...that hadn't ended well. Kobeyashi took another step backward and Iori wished it to be over. The longer it went on, the more likely he was to give away those aspects of himself he wished to keep secret.

He wouldn't be able to maintain this much longer.

Kyo noticed his reaction, grunted a quiet _'shit', _before smoothly pushing him off. Iori stumbled briefly before catching his balance. He gulped air and leaned back against the far wall. He watched, almost outside of himself, as _'Other'_ Kyodealt with Kobeyashi. His tone had shifted from provocative to aggressive. He was acting like he was really defending his girlfriend from unwanted advances.

It was a convincing act, and Kobeyashi was convinced.

The flamboyant man stared longingly at him and whispered, _"We could have been something." _before turning and fleeing the house. He didn't look back. Kyo followed him to slam and lock the door. He turned to look at Iori - all of the mockery and provocative behavior gone. Even his voice had gone flat; instead, he sounded slightly annoyed.

"Didn't Yag tell you to kill him?"

"And bring all the Yakuza here?" His tone was pure exasperation. "That'll bring the police. Not what I want, Kusanagi."

'_Other'_ Kyo shrugged then nodded. "True… and, uh." He rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry about that. You alright?"

His flush was going down but heat still lingered in his face. "No one else saw it."

'_Other' _Kyo sucked air in through his teeth and nodded. "Yeah, I feel you… Right, I've gotta finish episode 350. Wanna watch? Jwa-Hoon has finally gotten back together with Lee-Su, but he has memory loss from when he was traumatized when he was young, and-"

"I'll pass." Iori paused. "You knew I needed help?" It wasn't as if he'd called for any - he hadn't realized it'd escalate that fast.

Kyo stopped narrating the convoluted plot of his soap opera to chuckle.

"You looked fucking terrified. The last time I saw that expression you were literally about to be thrown off a cliff."

"But I wasn't...oh..._him_."

"Yeah, lunatic you."

"You saved him that time, didn't you?" There was something in the way how _'Other'_ Kyo said it that gave it away.

"Hah, yeah. We're constantly saving each other's asses. It's like a state of mind. I cover his ass, he covers mine."

"I'd do the same." Iori fell silent for a few seconds. "If he needs me, I'm there."

Kyo looked slightly surprised, then his expression broke into a grin. He looked genuinely happy Iori had said that. It seemed that _'Other' _Kyo was more invested in their relationship than he'd initially let on. "That's great. You guys ar-"

He was leaning against the door, where there was a brief knock. _'Other' _Kyo's grin faltered briefly as he ducked to look out the peephole. He came away grinning even harder. He sounded absolutely ecstatic.

"Heh… You said you'd be there for him… looks like he's here for you!"

"..."

Iori blinked.

_What? Kyo's here? But how..._

'_Other' _Kyo chortled and clapped him on the shoulder as he walked back to the living room. His eyebrows were dancing, and his face said _'happy'. _Iori looked back and forth between him and the door.

"You two have fun, ah! But talk to me afterwards I swear this even better than my show."

Iori decided not to comment on that. Being compared to a Korean soap opera wasn't exactly...a compliment. If he wanted to, he could even find that insulting. If he wanted to. There was another knock at the door. He wasn't as red anymore, which was good. He also quickly glanced down at himself to make sure _that _wasn't happening. It wasn't. That was good, since he wasn't prepared for a round two of last time's embarrassment. Not with _his_ Kyo at the front door. Speaking of which…

He stepped forward, unlocked the door, and swung it open.

Seeing Kyo standing there looking concerned - just the sight of him was relieving - was a bright spot amidst all the mayhem that occurred in the last few days. He hadn't expected Kyo to reverse their usual situation - Kyo came to find _him_ \- but that raised a question Iori knew he had to ask.

"How'd you find me? I never told you where I lived."

"Uh...I asked around." Kyo scratched the back of his head in a manner that Iori was familiar with. "Yagami, can we talk?"

"Sure." He looked at his rival, at the person who was a constant in his life. Could they return to that? "Give me a minute. Lemme get my keys. Weather's good. Let's take a walk."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_King of Fighters, Kyo Kusanagi, and Iori Yagami belong to SNK_

* * *

The sun had grown high and strong in the sky by ten in the morning. There were several wisps of clouds above, and flocks of geese in arrowhead formations traced their way across the horizon. Kyo sighed and kept his eyes forward as he walked. The air was cool in his nostrils and felt fresh in his lungs - more so now than in the past several days.

_Four days. _

Four days had passed since he'd last seen Iori. Since he'd lashed out, snarled at, and hurt the other so deeply that the cool, unnerving calmness the other seemed to emit so constantly was all but shattered. In the spur of the moment, Kyo couldn't truthfully say he _didn't _want to hurt his rival - because he did. His actions were intentional and deliberately malicious.

But after a few hours, he had come to regret it.

And now, that a few days had passed without the slightest whiff of Iori Yagami, Kyo's guilt drove him out of his house to roam the streets. He had spent half of yesterday, and all of this morning searching. He had knocked on four wrong doors already… but when he finally thought he was in the wrong neighborhood, Iori answered the fifth door.

The man who opened the door looked like an absolute mess. His hair was mussed. His eyes were dilated. He looked pale and was sweating and breathing hard, as if he'd just gotten out of a fight. There were bags beneath his eyes and he looked incredibly stressed - perhaps _even more so _than when Kyo had left him that fateful evening.

The sight caused Kyo's heart to sink into his feet. He cursed himself and expected the door to be slammed in his face. When it wasn't, he was relieved - but more than a little confused. The fact Iori even looked happy to see him, confused him even more. Iori wouldn't let Kyo into the house - and left him on the doorstep. Kyo found that a little suspicious. Red flags went off in his head when he was _sure _he heard the telltale noise of somebody crying from inside.

_Is he… is he torturing somebody? Did I drive him nuts?! Ugh, fuck… _

So when Iori came back, looking neater - but still exhausted, Kyo was the one on razor's edge. He needed to be careful with his words, since this entire fiasco was his fault… but if Iori had locked some poor bastard in his house and-

He didn't want to think about it. After the double-hostage situation a couple of days ago, Kyo now knew assumptions weren't his strong suit. But… _He mentioned that he lived alone, so… what other explanation is there? Is that why he didn't let me inside? I haven't seen him for four days… four days is a long time._

Kyo side-eyed the red-haired man who walked calmly beside him. He looked tired and worried and upset and relieved and glad… Kyo couldn't read him. Maybe he looked a bit crazy? Did he finally snap? A thousand different emotions and a thousand different thoughts were bouncing around his skull. Yagami was also extremely quiet next to him, and when Yagami got quiet, that meant something serious was occurring.

_Something incriminating? Murder? Torture? Kidnapp- _He stopped that train of thought. He didn't know what was happening… he wasn't sure he wanted to, but…

"Hey, uh… Yagami."

Beside him, Iori flicked a bit of ash off his cigarette and glanced at him. He was looking considerably calmer now than when he'd answered the door, but Kyo perceived he was still troubled. He continued tentatively.

"Are you alright?"

Iori nodded and looked into the distance as he addressed him. "Glad you found me. I thought I was going crazy."

_He's nuts! I knew it! Oh shit! I've gone and snapped his brain in half!_

Kyo did his best to keep his breath steady. If he'd truly driven Iori to commit… _that, _then was he responsible? Did he have an obligation to stop him? How many people has he already done this to? It'd been four long days. Kyo let out a shaky breath. He was tense and Iori seemed to sense it. The other man paused to look at him. He gave the slightest of frowns.

"What is it, Kyo?" The other's eyes seemed to bore into him. "What's wrong?"

Kyo gritted his teeth. He decided he needed to face this head on.

"Look, uh, I'm really sorry about what happened. I'll do my best to make it up to you, but don't take it out on innocent people, okay?"

The redhead looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

Kyo breathed heavily out of his nose and then stopped walking. He jerked his head in the direction of Iori's apartment. The confusion never left his rival's face.

"I heard crying from your house… I don't know who that is, but please. Let him go. This isn't his fault. It's mine. I… I won't tell anyone, alright?"

Iori turned to look at him. There was a moment of silence.

Then there was a subtle twitch in Iori's face. Was that amusement tugging at the corners of his eyes? What was so funny? "I think…" He thought he saw Yagami trying not to laugh. Kyo was baffled. "I think you have the wrong idea, Kyo."

"_The wrong id-_ Yagami! Those are innocent people! This isn't funny, dammit!"

He felt heat rising behind his eyes. He was angry, but more so at himself for allowing his rival to fall into such depravity. Torturing people? _Even murde-_

"You have the wrong idea." His rival took another drag from his cigarette. "You ever heard of K-drama? Maybe your girlfriend knows it."

Kyo blinked, then shook his head. He was becoming more and more agitated. He kept glancing from his rival to his cellphone to the apartment half a block away.

"Don't change the topic. How many people have you… _Alright, alright… _Listen. We need to fix this as soon as possible or you're going to jail. We need to do something. Did anyone see you? Have the neighbors been acting suspicious?"

Kyo's entire thought process at that moment could be described in a string of repeating _'Fuck!'s. _He hissed through his teeth and was unconsciously wringing his hands in worry. He twitched and stared suspiciously at every car that drove by. Iori had always been there to save his ass, so Kyo wasn't going to leave him in these dire straits - even if he had gone psycho-murderer. After all, he had promised not to leave Iori alone again. He would stand by that… The problem was, Kyo had _no idea_ how to deal with this kind of thing. None at all.

Iori stopped walking. Just didn't move. The mirth didn't fade out of his voice, but his tone grew serious. "Kyo, listen to me… _hey,_ you can do that, right? Not like last time?"

Kyo cupped his hands over his face, shut his eyes and breathed deeply into his hands for a few moments. After he had calmed himself down sufficiently, he gave a silent nod - but didn't remove his hands.

"The crying you heard was from _'Other'_ you. He likes K-dramas. That's why I asked you about them."

Kyo blinked. Removed his hands to stare at Iori.

"What?"

"He's been watching them. Made a mess of my couch. Been crying his eyes out for three straight days. Don't see what the big deal about them is, but..."

He shrugged. Kyo thought he saw the corners of his mouth turn upwards.

"So you're _not_… doing anything illegal?"

"No, _I'm_ not." An uneasy pause followed, but Kyo was too relieved to notice. He spun the situation over in his head and released a short chuckle. The _very distressed _crying wasn't from some poor innocent who had fallen into the hands of his now-insane rival; rather, it was a result of _'Other' _Kyo sobbing over soap operas. Iori _hadn't_ been driven insane. Neither had he murdered anyone. Neither was it Kyo's fault. It was beautifully anticlimactic. It was wonderfully unexpected. It was stupid. It was funny.

Apparently, Iori thought so too. His voice was amused.

"What did you think I was doing?"

Kyo pinched his nose and let out a sigh of relief. He waved the question away.

"Um, Nothing… Thought I might've driven you nuts. You looked a bit… crazy when you answered the door. I got a little worried."

"You can do a lot of things, Kyo but...I'm not that fucking fragile."

Kyo snorted and resumed down the road. Iori released a short chuckle and followed behind, quickly catching up with him to walk shoulder by shoulder. He puffed on his cigarette happily. It seemed Kyo's assumption had proven quite amusing, and Iori looked to be in high spirits. He broke the silence.

"Your girlfriend doing all right? Your folks okay? Were you able to give them an excuse for your sudden disappearance?"

Considering he had vanished right in front of Yuki in the tea shoppe during a date…. She had bombarded his phone with what felt like a million text messages and his mom had also called and asked him to call back. Of course, at that time, he was in the capsule hotel after making his rival's night miserable and by default, his own. He hadn't answered those messages or texted back because he was too busy excoriating himself for being a colossal dumbass and asshole to the one other person who actually gave two shits about him.

He'd simply returned home later that afternoon, at which point questions were asked and his mom served him an early dinner since he obviously looked wretched. Yuki had dropped on over a few hours later and wanted to know where he disappeared to. Since he didn't have a good answer - one that didn't make _him_ sound crazy - he gave her some vague response and said he was tired. Needed to tuck in for the night.

With his guilty conscience, he didn't sleep well that night, either.

"Yuki's fine. Mom's just feeding me. Dad's Dad. What excuse do I give them, Yagami?"

The other man shrugged. "You're resourceful. I'm sure you thought of something."

"I didn't."

Iori continued working on his cigarette and Kyo knew that a second one was on the way soon. With how frequently his rival smoked and how quickly he burned through packs of them, Kyo was surprised it hadn't affected him in other ways. Then again, the Yagami blood curse made the possibility of cancer unimportant. It wasn't as if Iori cared either way. Sure enough, his rival finished his cigarette, disposed of it, and moved onto the next one.

"So _'Other'_ me's been staying at your place for four days?"

"Him and _'Taxi' _both, intermittently. " A significant pause. Kyo looked at Iori, whose brow was creased. "_'Other'_ you is okay but…"

Kyo frowned. Iori didn't tend to complain.

"But, what? Has _'Taxi' _been too loony for you?"

Iori spun the cigarette between his fingers and glanced around. "Not here. We need another place to talk."

Kyo paused. He furrowed his brow in concern. What in the world could have happened to make Iori this cautious? There wasn't anyone else on this side of the street. All that he saw was a quiet residential neighborhood with its usual police box further down. Why did Yagami need to shift locations to talk?

Iori didn't offer any explanation. He simply sped up his pace until he turned into a narrow side alley. Kyo trotted after him. He felt a very peculiar tension in his rival's body language.

"Yagami...what's this about?"

The redhead took another look around the alley, raising his gaze up to the windows above them and dropped his voice. "Whatever I say, keep your voice down."

Kyo leaned against the other side of the narrow alley, facing his rival. He scrunched his face in confusion. He kept his voice low as requested. "What the hell is going on, Yagami? Did _'Those guys' _do something to you? You're acting weird."

"Found out I'm a made man now. Yakuza. Last night."

Kyo choked on his spit.

"_Yakuza? What the fuck?! _What do you mean, you _'found out'? _Do you sleepwalk or something?_"_

"'_Taxi's' _eighth in the Yakuza hierarchy here now. Which means so am I."

Kyo was still in disbelief.

"_What?! _Why the hell would he do that…? But how the hell is that your problem?"

"We look the same, Kyo. You think anyone else can tell the difference?"

Kyo covered his mouth and sucked air. _Shit. _Iori was right. If _'Taxi' _was out and about murdering people - or whatever the Yakuza did nowadays - Iori was going to take the blame. Their situation was strange in the extreme - there was no use explaining it to the authorities. They'd laugh - and bring everyone in for questioning. Police interrogations were serious with a one hundred percent confession rate and he didn't know how well Iori would do under the strain of that, all the while declaring his innocence.

"Shit… you're not messing with me, right? _Shit..._"

"I'm not." Iori's tone was dead serious. "That's not the only thing, Kyo."

"What the hell do we do? What the hell… _Wait- _Just ask _'Other' _me to beat the shit out of him so he stops. Then brush the entire thing under the rug. He's only been doing it for four days - right? Come on, let's get him off the TV."

Kyo made a motion toward the mouth of the alleyway. Iori grabbed him by the arm to stop him. He hissed, turning to face his rival.

"Four days and he's _eighth_ in line. Kyo...I have illegal money at my place. From arms dealing and drug smuggling. You think I can deal with that without getting my ass thrown in jail?"

_Oh shit. Drugs? Arms? _

Kyo's voice was shaky. He cupped his hands over his mouth again and leaned back against the wall to think.

"... can we… burn the money?"

"He has connections. The Yakuza know the money's at my place. What do you think is gonna happen if I do that?"

"Shit, you're right…"

Kyo sighed and picked his brain from _something _that could possibly get his rival out of this mess. What happened to gang members who wanted out, and _didn't_ end up in jail? Well, most of them just weren't caught… unfortunately, _'Taxi' _wasn't the subtle type - and if he had managed to climb from zero to number eight in the organization in three days, he had probably left a trail of blood in his wake. He was going to be caught, and that meant Iori was going to suffer alongside him. It was inevitable… _unless… _

Iori continued in a grim voice.

"It's American dollars - enough to fill my mattress. International dealings. Kyo, if our police don't figure this out, Interpol will. I'm looking at hard time either way it falls."

"Yagami."

Iori looked up from the ground to meet his gaze. Kyo didn't know how he managed to appear so calm. If he had suddenly found himself to be a high-level criminal, he'd likely panic immediately. The fact Iori could be so calm about it meant his idea just might work. He nodded seriously as he shared his idea.

"Yagami, betray the Yakuza to the authorities in exchange for immunity, like in all those American drug movies. You're number eight, right? You've gotta know something! That way you can get yourself out of that organization, and you don't land yourself in jail."

Iori paused. He seemed to think for a moment.

"'_Taxi'_ gave me some...evidence. It might work, but..." He sighed and lifted his cigarette to his lips. "The only issue is _'Taxi' _himself."

The enthusiasm drained right out of Kyo. He grimaced. _'Taxi'_ was a complete nut and a scary one to boot. He likely wouldn't listen to reason and could hold a grudge. If he did that against Iori...

"He sees me as a _'younger'_ brother. Trusts me. What do you think will happen if I turn against him and he finds out?"

"_Shit… _all that bastard talks about is loyalty this, loyalty that… _fuck…_"

"Right." Iori's expression only grew grimmer. "I can fight him but I'd lose. You know that. _I_ know that. Hell, he might even kill me. Some way to go, huh?"

Kyo leaned against the wall and looked to the sky. This day was getting weirder and weirder, and it was only ten-thirty. _He_ had come stalking, looking for Iori. _'Taxi'_ was out and about playing with drug money. Iori was now a high-level mafioso, and _'Other' _Kyo was -

_Hold on..._

"Get other me. Yagami! You've seen how my double fights. He puts _'Taxi'_ down in _seconds - _and _'Taxi'_ seems to do what he says anyhow. If we've got him on our side, we'll be fine. Just explain it to him - he seems like a pretty nice guy. I bet he'll help." Kyo chuckled. "I mean if he's crying over soap operas, if we give him a sad story about poor little _'You'_ being suddenly thrown into the criminal underworld, he'll give us a hand."

There was a shifting of _something_ in Iori's expression. Kyo couldn't read it. "He likes to help. He just might...but…"

Kyo let his voice drop into a serious tone. He stared levelly at Iori.

"But what? You've got no options. Do you have a better idea?"

"He'll be going against _'Taxi'_. Kyo...after what happened a few days ago, I think you understand what we're asking of him."

Kyo hardened his gaze.

"Better for him to go against that lunatic than us. We've gotta try, Yagami. It's either that - or just turn yourself in. I bet even fleeing the country wouldn't do much. You said they do international, right?"

"Yes. Drug money from Colombia. Arms from Iraq."

Kyo shut his eyes.

"Dammit… Yagami, let's get that bastard off the TV and talk to him. Come on."

* * *

_Nooo, Jang Mae! He's not abandoning you, he just got abducted by aliens and got his memory wiped! You can't go be with that evil bastard Kang Sook! How could you do-_

Kyo was curled up on the couch and hugging a cushion to his chest. The new stuffing Iori Yagami had filled the couch with poked uncomfortably at him through his pants, but he didn't notice. His attention was raptly focused on the drama that'd been playing nonstop on the glowing screen for the past 72 hours, and he wasn't getting tired of it.

Sure, he was _certain_ that this exact same plot had happened somewhere around episode… _45, or maybe 405? _But by now it was all a blur. He could enjoy the drama all over again. The best part was _'Nice' _Iori didn't nag him. His rival lookalike was quite happy to curl up on the other end of the couch with a book and leave him be. Sometimes he watched, but usually got a glazed look in his eye after a few minutes. Kyo appreciated the effort regardless. Occasionally he even got up and brought snacks. As far as Kyo was concerned, _'Nice' _Iori was an angel incarnate.

There was a thumping and Kyo briefly noticed the noise of the door closing and footsteps in the entrance. Two people had arrived in the apartment. He _could _get up and see who it was, but that would involve him getting up. He opted to use his powers of deduction to determine who was outside.

There was no screaming, so it wasn't Iori and his touchy faggot friend. _'Other' _Kyo and _'Nice'_ Iori had just left and likely wouldn't be back for at least another hour… that meant...

…_Actually, I don't know what that means… who the hell is- Ahhh! Jang Mae, no! You can't marry him! Noo!_

Kyo's situational awareness went out the window as Jang Mae pronounced wedding vows to a person who looked exactly like her, except his hair was short. In the audience, another identical looking person - _Lee Sook - _was crying bitterly. He had gotten his memory wiped by aliens, but his _heart _knew his first love, Jang Mae! This was too cruel! Far too cruel.

_But what now?! Lee Sook was standing up to protest the marriage! Is Jang Mae gonna remember him? Is- _"Hey! Move!"

'Nice' Iori walked over to stand in the way of the television. At the same moment, the room's lights were flipped on. Kyo grabbed for the remote to pause his beloved show before angrily addressing the solemn man standing in front of him. He was aware that...'_Other' _Kyo was standing by the light switch. He cast him an equally annoyed glare before voicing his thoughts.

"You guys have no appreciation for a good drama. Why are you bothering me so late at night?"

'_Nice' _Iori crossed his arms over his chest and replied smoothly, while _'Other' _Kyo walked to sit at the other edge of the couch. "I just need a word. It's important. Can you hear me out?"

Kyo paused. He had more complaints to give, but decided not to voice them. Both of the men were looking at him with grim expressions, and Kyo was beginning to think there might be something serious going on.

He sighed, uncurled from his scrunched up position, and wiped the tears from his eyes. He checked his watch for the first time in approximately a hundred episodes. It was 10:37 in the morning.

"Alright, alright. What's up kiddos? Something eating you?"

"Tell him, Yagami," said his duplicate, whose attention was focused on _'Nice' _Iori. It appeared they had made up the rift caused a few days earlier. Kyo couldn't help but smile at that. He _knew _they'd be better than his soap operas.

"Has 'other' me told you anything about what he's been doing for the last few days?"

Kyo shrugged.

"Honestly, I thought he was out selling ass."

They stared at him. Kyo couldn't help but snicker.

"Okay okay, fine. Yeah. I think he joined a gang or something, and made a really gay friend? If you want in on the action, just ask him. I'm sure he'd be happy to get you initiated."

At the mention of the 'really gay friend', _'Nice'_ Iori turned an interesting shade of pink. Right. That had just happened not too long ago and obviously the other man was embarrassed to even think about it. He saw _'Other'_ Kyo looking on in confused silence. Thankfully, he was smart enough to not say anything stupid this time.

It took a minute but the nicer version of his rival finally got past whatever mental image was in his brain and spoke. "It's not a gang. Not the way you're thinking. It's the Yakuza. The branch here in Osaka."

Kyo shrugged.

"Ah, well his family runs the Yakuza back home. Sometimes they ask him to step in, so he knows the operation. I guess he was checking your Yakuza out. What of it?"

Kyo yawned and knitted his fingers behind his head. He propped his feet up on the coffee table and stared calmly at them.

"He's eighth here in the Osaka branch. I found out last night."

Kyo felt his face twitch. He was still smiling, but not out of amusement. The news was so unexpected that he had forgotten to change his expression.

"_What?!"_

"Because he's eighth, I'm eighth. That's why…" Here, _'Nice'_ Iori looked at _'Other' _Kyo with an unreadable expression. "That's why _that guy_ showed up earlier. Because apparently, I'm the same rank as him."

Kyo stared at _'Nice' _Iori and grimaced. From the way he lived, it seemed the last thing he wanted to do was run a criminal empire - much less the notoriously involved Japanese Yakuza. Iori was a bit of a nut. He was from a big family with tons of political connections, and besides, Commander Heidern and Chiz were always covering his ass when things got hairy. He could murder someone in broad daylight, in the middle of Times Square, and not even be brought in for questioning.

So if he had climbed to number 8, he had probably killed a shit-ton of people to do it. Iori didn't have the same network in this world. Actually, he was a complete stranger. If he got arrested, nobody was making a call on his behalf.

Which meant he was fucked.

Which meant _'Nice' _Iori was fucked.

"Shit, you're fucked."

"That was fast," the redhead standing across from him said, unwinding his arms to place his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I'm fucked but it's not just that. He's dealing with the arms trade and drug smuggling. Kusanagi, not sure what it's like back home for you, but how does Japan deal with offenders of that sort?"

"Yag can do whatever the fuck he wants. If they actually sat him down and counted up the stuff he did, he'd probably get like… a thousand years or something. But enough about that - how are you gonna fix this shit?"

"Glad you asked." Here, _'Nice'_ Iori leaned forward a bit, reminding Kyo of Yagami's unusual posture while fighting. "That's why we're here. Before I continue, are you aware there's illegal money here?"

"... I didn't, but I'm honestly not surprised. Where's it from?"

"The ones in the couch are from the Colombian drug trade. I was surprised out of my sleep last night just so he could stuff the mattress. That's from the arms trade in Iraq. So, am I fucked or am I _fucked_, huh?"

Kyo shut his eyes and cupped his face in both hands. He couldn't help but release a sad laugh.

"Well, he does speak Spanish… _dammit, Yag you stupid bitch…_ are there any bodies in here? Did you check the freezer?"

His rival's duplicate released a dry laugh. "The fridges here are too small for that. And no, there's nothing like that here. Don't need any more shit like that."

Kyo grimaced.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the amount of shit getting thrown at you. Listen to me. Trash all the meat in your freezer. Riot's a collector. He tends to do weird shit like that."

"I'll take care of it, Yagami." His double had risen to his feet off the couch and gave his rival a singular look. "Kitchen's just further in, right?"

"Yeah. Dump everything, Kyo." _'Nice'_ Iori had removed a cigarette from the carton in his jacket pocket. He lit it with his flames and sighed. "Don't leave anything in there."

Kyo sighed again. His rival was really a piece of work. He could be the best friend you ever had. He'd kill for you, he'd die for you, but he came with so many problems, that sometimes Kyo felt it wasn't worth it.

Iori was a _fucking_ battle addict. He didn't just want to win, he wanted to slaughter… and if he didn't, Riot broke out and did it anyways. Iori had joined the Japanese mafia for the same reason he spent time with IKARI. If he wanted to live any sort of normal life, he needed an outlet. And… _well… at least he's going after criminals, but shit. _

Kyo lifted his head and glanced tiredly at '_Nice' _Iori. He really was a much nicer version… but Yagami had set the bar so low it was almost a worthless comparison to make.

"Do you...have political connections?"

'_Nice'_ Iori partook of his cigarette and shook his head. "No. My family name only does so much."

Kyo jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen.

"How about him? You've gotta give me something, man… otherwise the only thing to do is just erase the entire system. And that's gonna be a _fucking_ war."

At that, the other's eyes widened, startled. "The Kusanagi clan won't do anything for me. Not even if _he_ wants to. And we aren't tearing the system down. Is that how you guys operate back home?"

"...Don't ask."

He saw _'Nice' _Iori check himself, as if warned by his tone of voice. "I see." The younger man went for his cigarette again - it was as much a crutch as it was a habit - and change his tone. "You see...I was hoping you'd help."

"My help? How so?"

"I'm considering turning the evidence over to the authorities in exchange for immunity. But if I do that, _he's_ going to find out who told and…" The redhead made a violent gesture with his hand, tracing the air with cigarette smoke across his throat. "I'd be digging my own grave. Wouldn't last the hour."

Kyo sighed and covered his face again. He knew what these two were asking of him. He knew it was likely the best option they had. It was reasonable… but _Iori _wasn't_. _Famously so.

"You want me to turn him over in your stead."

"I know you cover for him. What I'm asking of you." There was a quiet sympathy in the other's voice. "I wouldn't ask it of you if I could take care of it myself. But he _will_ kill me and he'd kill Kyo, too, if he found out. I'm not letting Kyo die..."

Kyo pinched the bridge of his nose and held up a hand. _'Nice' _Iori fell silent. He and _'Other' _Kyo - who had returned from the kitchen - were both staring at him. He sighed.

Iori Yagami had gone ahead and ruined some more lives. That wasn't really a surprise. Actually, it was expected. The way things had panned out left _'Nice' _Iori in an incredibly compromised position. His entire life, which he had painstakingly built from the ground up - was now ready to collapse about his ears… and for what reason? What horrendous crime merited such severe punishment? That's right. He had shown hospitality.

The world was unfair. There was no rhyme or reason to it - it was something that Iori firmly believed; it was something Kyo was still struggling to come to terms with. Kyo didn't give a shit about the random people that were cut down and burned by his rival's blood-thirst… well, normally he didn't.

But, he rather liked this pair.

So…

Kyo gritted his teeth.

He could betray Iori. He'd done it before. He'd hunted him down like a dog. He'd nearly slain him in the KOF ring. He nearly punched his head off while they were escaping SouthTown. He could betray the trust invested in him. He could spit on that unmoving bedrock of benevolence that had supported him time and time again.

He knew he wasn't a good person.

He could do it.

It'd hurt, but he could do it.

If he turned on his rival, if he stabbed him in the back, Kyo knew what the response would be.

Iori would _rage. _

… but he wouldn't come for revenge.

That was out of the question.

There was nothing Iori Yagami hated more than a traitor. He had let himself fall to many depths, but he had never betrayed his word. He'd remain loyal. To him, loyalty was more precious than life.

And that's why betrayal would be worse than death.

The silence rang in the room. Kyo felt two sets of eyes boring into him. These two men, younger than him by perhaps… three years? They were so fresh. Their hands were clean. They were innocent - they couldn't even imagine half the things he had done.

They didn't deserve to suffer.

"You kids… You have no idea what you're asking me to do. You don't know Yag. You don't know me. Not at all."

He watched their faces fall. _'Nice' _Iori squeezed his hands into fists, crushing his cigarette. Beside him, a brief curse escaped the _'Other' _Kyo from behind clenched teeth. Kyo sighed. He leaned against the back of the couch and looked to the ceiling. He gazed into the lights there. His voice was barely a whisper.

"You two… don't become like us."

A pause. He breathed deeply.

When he opened them, his eyes were hard. His voice was authoritative. He gave a command.

"Get me a phone. Put me on with the police. Give me all the information you have. I'll talk to them… and make it snappy before I change my mind."


End file.
